“No Pass, No Travel” order up in Cagayan de Oro

CAGAYAN DE ORO— Gone are the freewheeling days of the COVID-19 community quarantine here.

Alarmed by the sudden upsurge of private vehicles and crowds in malls, markets and even in posh subdivisions, local officials here imposed more stringent quarantine measures to curb these activities.

Mayor Oscar Moreno signed Executive Order no. 062 series of 2020 requiring each family here to secure a Barangay Exit Pass before they can go out from their houses.

Moreno said it’s a “No Pass, No Travel” measure replacing the old one where residents can get out from their houses anytime except for the curfew hours between 9 pm to 6 am.

“The intention is for people to stay at home because the virus might be just lurking around here,” Moreno said.

“I felt the downtrend of the number of PUI have made residents complacent of the health problem,” he said.

Moreno said the “Barangay Exit Pass” measure would take effect on Monday April 20, 2020.

Last week, a sudden upsurge of private vehicles on the streets of Cagayan de Oro and crowds defying the social distancing order have caused Moreno and public officials here to be alarmed.

A big crowd descended as early as 4am in Cogon public market Thursday morning (April 16) prompting police to intervene since it was still curfew hours.

Shiny SUVs and cars were seen on the streets of Cagayan de Oro where there was none when the community quarantine was implemented last March 20.

Parties are even reported held in posh subdivisions and gated communities in the city.

Every day, big crowds of people are present at the grocery department of SM Uptown and S&R Mall in Barangay Kauswagan, this city.

Police and security guards have to drive away joggers and physical fitness buffs in one of the favorite fields at the back of SM Uptown in Upper Carmen, this city.

Moreno said they have to put a stop to all of these activities, which can spread the COVID-19.

In the guidelines, each family will have one Barangay Exit Pass that would be issued and distributed by the barangays.

“You do not have to apply or get the pass. Barangay officials will deliver them to families,” Teddy Sabugaa, head of the Cagayan de Oro City Social Welfare and Development said.

Sabugaa said those who are living alone would be issued also with a Barangay Exit Pass.

He said barangay officials have until Sunday (April 19) to distribute the passes to their constituents.

Sabugaa said the passes are issued for free and is not for sale.

He said all those who go out from their houses using the passes should wear a facemask.

Sabugaa said when using a vehicle, only one is allowed to use the pass preferably the driver.

He said the pass is transferable to anyone in the household.

Sabugaa said exempted in the new measure are employees in exempted category issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID).

The Authorized Persons Outside of Residence (APOR) include workers in essential services and delivery of goods and other necessities, and authorized government officials.

Also exempted are medical, funeral, emergency responders, security, Workers of banks, delivery personnel, utilities personnel such as in telecommunications, water, and electricity and journalists.

A City Hall insider told CDN Digital that the cluster heads that are the chiefs of various departments present to Moreno their observation that private transportation and big crowds have been reported in the city.

Another City Hall source said the cluster presented Moreno with two options—total lockdown or Barangay Exit Pass.

Moreno opted for the Barangay Exit Pass right away, the source said.

Mayor Moreno said the influx of people in the grocery departments and markets was triggered by the infusion of COVID-19 aid money from the barangays, city government and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

“Everyone has money. It was like a general election when money was flowing everywhere,” He said.

Moreno said when people have money the tendency for them was to spend it for food because they have been on sardine-rice diet for two weeks. /rcg