AS ACTIVE Covid-19 cases in Davao City continue to increase, the City Government announced on Monday, October 12, that it will be imposing a stricter curfew and liquor ban effective 12 noon of October 15.
Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio issued Executive Order (EO) 55, which enforces curfew, liquor ban, and regulation of other activities in the city until December 31, 2020.
The curfew, which was lifted on August 3, will once again be reimposed, this time from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next day.
The mayor, according to the EO, will impose curfew in all public places every day.
However, she set exemptions on the following: all government workers who are on duty during curfew hours; all private office and establishment employees who time in and time out of work within the curfew hours, this shall mean to include their travel to and from their residence; all medical doctors and veterinarians who need to work; and workers of public utility companies (energy, water, internet, etc.) conducting construction, maintenance or emergency activities.
Also exempted from the curfew are subsistence and business fishing activities, their vessels are subject to lawful inspection by the Maritime Police, Task Force Davao, Navy or Coast Guard, if there is a reasonable belief that there is illegal activity or unlawful materials in the vessel; individuals attending the wake of a family member; and all medical, emergency and disaster cases.
The curfew, however, shall cover only individuals, but offices, establishments, places of worship, and other institutions are encouraged to adjust their operating hours accordingly.
Exempted workers shall present an employee's ID to inspectors at checkpoints during curfew hours.
Meanwhile, liquor ban will also be imposed during the curfew hours. Drinking in public places such as roads, alleys, open spaces, and other similar places is prohibited every day at any given time.
Duterte-Carpio formally lifted the 24-hour liquor ban on September 21 but the Ordinance 004-13 series of 2013, which amends Ordinance 1627 series of 2014, or the Liquor Ban Ordinance of Davao was still in effect from 1 a.m. to 8 a.m.
'Public health, public welfare' first
Duterte-Carpio said during a radio interview that there is a need to reimpose curfew and regulate other activities due to the surge of Covid-19 cases.
The mayor said that based on the Covid-19 patients in the city, most of them contracted the virus from non-essential activities and movements.
"We deemed it nga kinahanglan i-regulate kanang mga activities nga ginabuhat sa mga tao nga dili essential, dili sila sulod didto sa kanang ginasulti sa IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases) Omnibus Guidelines (We deemed it necessary to regulate non-essential activities, or those outside of the IATF Omnibus Guidelines)," Duterte-Carpio said.
The regulation is also in response to the recent status of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), which is exhausted due to the surge of admitted patients. Both SPMC's intensive care unit (ICU) and ward beds allotted for Covid-19 patients are already near full occupancy. As of October 11, occupancy rate for ICU beds is now at 84.85 percent and 84.62 percent for ward beds.
"There is a pandemic, and it is a public health concern, so kinahanglan nato unahon ang public health, ang general welfare (we need to prioritize public health and general welfare)," Duterte-Carpio said.
The mayor said mass transportation will not be affected as they are also exempted in the curfew.
Business establishments are also exempted from the curfew but they are encouraged to adjust their operation hours.
"Ang atoang [new] curfew is curfew sa tao. Walay curfew sa establishments. So kamo na mag-decide based sa assessment sa inyohang business. But we encourage na mag adjust mo sa inyohang operating hours (We only imposed curfew to the people, not specifically on establishments. So it is up to them to decide if they would operate beyond curfew. But we encourage them to adjust their operating hours)," Duterte-Carpio said.
With the implementation of the curfew, the Roxas Night Markets operation, which is operating from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. since it reopened last September 12, will be shortened to two hours - from 5 p.m to 7 p.m. beginning October 15.
As of October 11, the city has a total of 2,363 Covid-19 cases, the highest in the entire Davao Region. Active cases are at 499, while 1,767 already recovered, and 97 died.
According to the October 6, 2020 Octa Research Covid-19 monitoring report, Davao del Sur and Davao City are among the areas outside Luzon "where the pandemic is getting worse" despite noting a downtrend in new Covid-19 cases in the Philippines.
Despite this, the mayor said she does not have any initial information from IATF if the city will be elevated to a stricter quarantine status because she previously said it would be "disruptive" if the city is reverted to MECQ or ECQ.
Davao City is currently under modified general community quarantine, the lowest quarantine status imposed by the IATF to a certain locality.
Other regulations
The EO also states that all sari-sari stores are required to close during the curfew and liquor ban.
All videoke and karaoke inside private property, meanwhile, shall be prohibited from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. every day. The purok leader can require police assistance at any time of the day to turn off a videoke/karaoke, if the sound volume has become disruptive to the neighbors of the owner of the machine/equipment.
For public venues and establishments that do not have a business permit to operate as a videoke, karaoke or sing-along place shall be prohibited to operate their equipment 24 hours a day.