Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella says that the Cebu South Bus Terminal should be closed during curfew hours. | CDN Digital file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) should be closed during the city’s curfew hours from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily.
Labella said that although the city was amicable to the reopening of the South Bus Terminal along the Natalio Bacalso Highway, the terminal must maintain the health protocols to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) including the city’s curfews.
Read: Cebu South Bus Terminal reopens after five months of closure
This would also include the basic health protocols set by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB-7) such as the wearing of face shields, allowing only 50 percent capacity for passengers, and regular disinfection.
“In our meeting, atong gisegurado nga iimplement ang basic health protocols labi na nga moabot ang daghang katawhan dinha sa terminal gikan sa atong mga probinsya,” said Labella.
(In our meeting, we assured that the basic health protocols will be implemented especially since many people will arrive at the terminal from the province.)
The mayor met with the Cebu Provincial Capitol officials, who manage the CSBT or Cebu South Bus Terminal, the Talisay City Government officials, the Cebu City Transportation Office, and the LTFRB-7 to discuss the health protocols of the terminal.
He said that aside from health protocols, the bus terminal must also follow the curfew hours of the city from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. because the public had been asked to stay home during those hours, and the terminal should not be operating.
To accommodate the free flow of the buses between the local government units (LGUs), the city government has opened all borders to travellers.
Labella said that since the entire Cebu is placed under the modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), strict border controls would no longer be necessary.
However, checkpoints remain to ensure that people are following the health protocols, and only those with quarantine passes, certificates of employment, and other documents may freely come and go into the city. /dbs