Cebu on “lockdown” starting Monday

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Everyone must stay at home and public transportation will halt in Cebu province starting Monday, March 30, 2020.

After a meeting with the mayors of the 44 component towns and cities, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia announced on Thursday night, March 26, that the entire province will already be on a “lockdown” or “enhanced community quarantine” beginning Monday and will continue “until further notice.”

Under the lockdown, only one member per household will be allowed to go out from time to time to buy essential goods such as food, water, and medicine. All modes of public transportation will also stop.

The local government units must provide the quarantine passes which are only valid within the issuing LGU.

Workers in essential sectors such as food production and retail, agri-industries, utilities like water and electricity, health, news media, and construction services are exempted from the lockdown.

Although Garcia has signed an executive order declaring the enhanced community quarantine on Wednesday evening yet, she said the implementation of the mobility restriction will have to start later to give the LGUs an ample time to prepare their measures for the lockdown.

“In the IATF (Interagency Task Force) resolution that defines the conditions under which the local government unit may declare an enhanced community quarantine, dili man na contained ang word nga lockdown sa IATF resolution,” Garcia explained. “Well, ang masabtan sa mga tawo, lockdown man,” she added.

Garcia said she has instructed the mayors “to take care of their own people” in providing transportation for those who need to go to work especially the government and health workers.

Private companies who will be allowed to continue to operate despite the lockdown are also required to provide a mode of transportation for their employees, Garcia said.

Going on lockdown is the province’s response to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as the province tallies 15 presumptive positive cases on top of the one confirmed case in Mandaue City.

While Cebu province’s lockdown is effective on March 30 yet, Cebu City will be implementing its lockdown ahead at noon on March 28.

Mayor Edgardo Labella, however, assured that residents of the province who are exempted from the lockdown and will need to enter the city to report for work will be granted entry.

Mandaue City, which also announced earlier that their lockdown will take effect at midnight on Sunday, however, retracted and said that they will implement in sync with the province on March 30.

Lapu-Lapu City, on the other hand, will have its lockdown effective on March 29. /rcg