Talisay in GCQ: Market skeds to go on; free rides no more

The one entrance policy in Talisay City will already be lifted on June 3, but market schedules in Talisay City will continue despite the shift to GCQ. |CDN file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Market schedules will still be observed but free rides and “Stay-at-home Sundays” will end for Talisay City as it shifts to general community quarantine (GCQ) on Monday, June 1, 2020.

In an update at noon on Sunday, May 31, Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas said the city would abide by the resolution of the national Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID or the IATF) placing Cebu province, which includes the city of Talisay, under GCQ until June 15.

Read more: Gullas on abiding with the IATF decision

Although Talisay City is a component of Cebu province, which shifted to GCQ last May 20, Mayor Gullas has appealed for the city to remain under a modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) due to the still-rising number of cases there.

“We will abide by the decision of the IATF. As I said in my video a couple of days ago, we have to move on. Even with COVID around us, people want even just a little sense of normalcy back,” Gullas said.

Following the Capitol’s GCQ Guidelines, the 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. curfew will remain implemented in the city despite the GCQ. Persons under 21 years old who are not working in permitted establishments and those with known pre-existing health conditions are still under a 24-hour home quarantine.

Read more: Talisay limits market days to residents of 7 brgys a day

According to Gullas, the city will keep its market schedules for residents who will buy goods from Tabunok Public Market in order to maintain social distancing.

“Para ma maintain ang social distancing sa market. Naa gihapon tay schedule. Padayon previous schedule and closed on Sundays to disinfect. Just show an ID showing your proof of residence na barangay,” Gullas wrote.

Although the city will no longer impose the Stay-at-home Sundays beginning June 7, Gullas said the Tabunok Public Market would remain close on this day for regular disinfection.

Gullas also said that with the shift to GCQ, the free rides that the city offered in barangays for those scheduled to go to the market would also end on June 2. This as public transport will already be permitted under GCQ.

“Come June 3, public transportation with bayad will be available. Tricycle for inner roads and since for the meantime dili pa allowed tricycles sa national highway, we have requested LTFRB to put bus routes from eskina Linao to eskina Bulacao na pwede sakyan (put bus routes from the corner of Linao to the corner of Bulacao where commuters can ride on),” Gullas explained.

Read more: With ‘One Entrance Only’ policy, CSCR will serve as only access to Talisay City – Gullas

On June 3, the “one entrance policy” which only allows entry into Talisay City via the Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR) will also be lifted since the province will already allow the entry and exit of workers from the province into the city and vice versa.

Checkpoints will still be in place, however, to check on the certificate of employment (COE) and the company identification cards of the persons entering and leaving the province to prove that they are employed in permitted establishments.

Gullas also cautioned his constituents that the shift to GCQ would not mean that there would be no more new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) there.

Gullas said that the city’s 48 cases at present, might still climb in the coming days with at least 50 persons swabbed and awaiting results.

“But what we want to do sa city in a GCQ is this: kung naay mga lugar na high risk, we will declare this as a red zone, we will then localize ECQ’s in sitios or purok level where there is a big chance of transmission,” Gullas said.

(But what we want to do in the city in a GCQ is this: If there are high risk places, we will declare this as a red zone, we will then localize the ECQs in sitios or purok level where there is a big chance of transmission.)

Read more: Gullas to place ‘high-risk’ areas under localized ECQ as Talisay shifts to GCQ on Monday

In other areas, the mayor said the government would intend the people to “continue on with a new normal.”

“While we want people to continue on with their lives, hangyo lang sad unta ko to prepare for a new normal. A new normal of wearing masks at all times, a new normal of social distancing and a lot more protocols set by [the] government,” Gullas said.

(While we want people to continue one with their lives, I appeal to them to prepare for a new normal. A new normal of wearing masks at all times, a new normal of social distancing and a lot more protocols set by [the] government.)/dbs