CEBU CITY, Philippines — Owners of supermarkets in Cebu City will need to provide for the accommodation of non-city residents as the provincial government closes its borders at midnight on Monday, March 30, 2020.
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said the supermarket owners should provide for their own employees who would no longer be allowed to go back to the province once they enter Cebu City until the border restriction is lifted.
In Governor Garcia’s Executive Order no. 5-E, which sets the protocols of the province’s Enhanced Community Quarantine, anyone who enters Cebu City will no longer be allowed to return to the province’s jurisdiction.
Garcia said this is to contain the further spread of COVID-19 considering the rising number of cases of the viral infection in Cebu City.
“I am considering Cebu City now as the epicenter of this virus in this province,” Garcia said as the number of cases in Cebu City hits 20.
But while health workers are exempt from the border closure in order to ensure continuous operations in the hospitals, Garcia said other workers should remain confined in the city in order to prevent possible transmission in the province if they contract the virus.
“Sa tanan nga sektor karon nga naglisod tungod aning coronavirus, dunay usa nga wa naglisod ug niginansya gikan sa panic buying. Way lain kundi ang mga supermarket… Sige mo og halin og dako. I believe you can provide for the accommodation of your employees,” Garcia said.
“Supermarkets and groceries, provide accommodation for your workers here kung gikan sila sa probinsya. I think dapat mo-provide gyud. Mogasto-gasto sad og gamay. Iban-ibani sad na inyong ginansiya,” she added.
Construction companies, while they are allowed to continue operations, should also provide accommodation for their workers in the construction sites, Garcia said.
The companies should also ensure that the workers practice social distancing and regularly monitor the health of their workers.
Financial services such as banks and money transfer firms should also provide transportation for their employees since they are allowed to continue to operate during the ECQ and are exempted from the border closure. /rcg