Kaohsiung buses as ‘briefing cells’ for ECQ violators

Kaohsiung buses owned by the Cebu City government will be used as briefing cells for enhanced community quarantine violators.  |CDN file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Kaohsiung buses will be used as briefing cells for enhanced community quarantine violators (ECQ) by the Cebu City government, who plans to intensify the implementation of the ECQ especially with the rising cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the city.

Mayor Edgardo Labella said the buses would serve as briefing cells for those who would be reprimanded for violating the ECQ such as going around with no masks, no ECQ pass, or for no good reason.

Read more: 754 ECQ, traffic violators apprehended during CCPO’s simultaneous checkpoints

The violators will undergo briefing on the guidelines of the ECQ for an hour before allowing them to go home.

“We noticed that the people are still going out, we need stricter implementation of the ECQ,” said the mayor.

The Kaohsiung buses will be stationed in different areas in the city especially where people still insist to go such as markets and other public places.

Labella reiterated the significance of staying at home, and how it could help flatten the curve of rising cases. As of now, Cebu City has a total of 53 positive cases and five deaths.

In just one day, Cebu City recorded 22 new cases of COVID-19, an alarming yet expected increase in the number of cases.

The mayor said the rise was expected as mass testing were being conducted in the areas where the known cases had been identified.

Staying at home is the best way to stop the spread of the virus and would help reduce the risks for essential frontliners still going to work as well.

The mayor urged the public to take the ECQ seriously and cooperate. /dbs