MAYOR Sara Duterte-Carpio, through an executive order (EO), extended the 24-hour liquor ban and curfew in Davao City for another two months.
Duterte-Carpio issued EO 30 on Thursday, May 27, ordering the extension of the curfew and liquor ban in the city until July 31, 2021.
The liquor ban and curfew currently being implemented until May 31, 2021, are provided in Section 21 of Executive Order No. 12-B, Series of 2021.
“There is a need to extend the liquor ban and curfew to regulate some activities that can contribute to local transmission in the city,” the mayor said in the EO.
Section 1 of the EO states that the liquor ban in all public places shall be 24 hours every day while the curfew time in all public places is from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. every day. Those who work or do business during these hours are exempted.
Duterte-Carpio said in her previous interview that the city government is not lifting the implementation of the curfew and liquor ban anytime soon as the city is anticipating a possible surge.
She added that lifting it would encourage mass gathering, which could cause an uptick in the transmission of the Covid-19 virus.
Although prior to the extension, the mayor said she has been thinking about "creating a balance" that would meet all the needs of stakeholders without sacrificing the basic public minimum health standards.
With the current surge, Duterte-Carpio reiterated the need for Dabawenyos to comply with the basic public minimum health standards and to only leave their homes for essential goods and services or work or doing business to reduce the risk of local transmission.
“We have a stay-home quarantine order because we are under GCQ. Dapat mga tawo naa lang sa sulod sa balay, ginatugtan lang mugawas sa balay tong mu-access for essential goods and services, magwork or magnegosyo,” she said.
(People must just stay at home as those allowed to go out are only those accessing essential goods and services, those working and doing business.)
Davao City has been placed under the general community quarantine (GCQ) from modified GCQ (MGCQ) by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) on November 20, 2020. However, the city had already reimposed two restrictions prior to being placed under GCQ.
EO 31 Amendment
Duterte-Carpio also issued EO 31-A, known as “An Order Regulating All Barangay, Local and National Government Office Office Events Including Government-Owned and Controlled Corporation Events” on Wednesday, May 26, which took effect immediately.
This is an amendment to the issued EO 31 on Monday, May 24.
All activities of the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force are exempted from the ban on government activities under the updated EO 31-A, Series of 2021 of Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte.
EO 31-A added a section for Task Force Activities, which states, “All government activities of the response, vaccination, and recovery clusters of the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force are exempted from the provisions of this Order.”
The banned government events under EO 31-A until after the lifting of the state of calamity are inauguration, anniversary, thanksgiving, ribbon-cutting, blessing, turnover, groundbreaking activity, launching program, salo-salo, birthday, press conference, oath-taking program, photo opportunity, retirement honors, welcome honors, testimonial program, summer outing, and all other similar activities. But all these events are allowed online.
Meanwhile, Section 3 of EO 31-A listed all face-to-face non-emergency essential government activities that are temporarily suspended until August 31, 2021. The list includes training, seminar, medical mission, operation tuli, gupitan sa barangay, registration, sign-up activity, tree planting activity, and all other similar activities.
Activities such as training and seminars are allowed via online platforms.
EO 31-A applies to all barangay, local and national government offices, agencies and instrumentalities, including government-owned and controlled corporations.
The mayor said contact tracing information has revealed that there were confirmed positive Covid-19 cases who attended government events.