CEBU City Mayor Edgardo Labella on Friday, Oct. 9, 2020, further relaxed restrictions on business operations, allowing non-leisure establishments in malls and commercial centers as well as food outlets to operate at full capacity.
Food outlets may now offer 24-hour take-out and delivery services while non-leisure businesses may operate up to 11 p.m. each day.
These are contained in Executive Order No. 99, which Labella issued Friday to amend some items under Section 2 of EO 94.
EO 94 was released on Oct. 1, declaring a state of modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) in Cebu City for the month of October.
In his new EO, establishments that are allowed to operate at full capacity are food preparation insofar as take-out and delivery services, non-leisure establishments in malls and commercial centers, and non-leisure wholesale and retail establishments.
Public and private construction projects are also allowed to operate at full capacity, subject to the safety guidelines issued by the Department of Public Works and Highways.
Non-leisure wholesale and retail establishments include mall-based government frontline services, hardware stores, clothing and accessories, bookstores and school/office supplies stores, baby or infant care supplies stores, pet shops including pet food and pet care supplies, information technology and electronic equipment stores, flower/jewelry/novelty/antique/perfume shops, toy stores, music stores, art galleries (selling only), and firearms and ammunition trading establishments.
Playgrounds and amusement areas are still closed.
Food establishments used to be able to operate only until 11 p.m. Under the new EO, food businesses may provide take-out and delivery services for 24 hours.
The operating hours of malls and commercial centers have been extended until 11 p.m. from the previous 10 p.m. daily.
Dine-in services in restaurants may now be allowed until 11 p.m, an hour longer from the previous 10 p.m.
Restaurants are, however, allowed to operate only up to 75 percent of their capacity.
The new EO also allows restaurants and fast food establishments to serve all kinds of food and beverages, including alcoholic drinks, but only two servings per customer, pursuant to the guidelines of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Sari-sari stores, convenience stores, and the like are still prohibited from serving any alcoholic drinks within their premises.
Labella said the measure aims to cater to the requests of the business community to further relax restrictions to allow them to recover from the massive losses they incurred during the lockdowns.
“There is a need to amend the aforementioned executive order in order to cater (to) the requests coming from the business sector to further open the industries and help the economy recover from losses incurred the past few months of strict community quarantine,” Labella stated. (JJL)