Relaxed borders for Cebu City this Christmas season

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said the border control in the city will be eased for entry and exit this Christmas season.

The downtrend of cases and the extention of the Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) in the city would allow the entry of all individuals with quarantine passes and other documents this month.

Mayor Labella said this will also allow people to come to the city to shop, conduct business, and visit their families. This in turn would be a chance for economic recovery, especially for the business sector.

“Ato na girelax ang borders labi na nga we are now in the Christmas season and ato nakita nga compliant ang mga katawhan. Ang importante lang gyod nga ang atong ports nifollow sa mga requirements for entry,” said the mayor.

(We are relaxing the borders, especially now that we are in the Christmas season and we can see that the people are compliant. What is important is for the ports to follow the requirements for entry.)

Still, the easing of the borders does not mean that the implementation of health protocols will be relaxed as the city government will still continue to require both individuals and establishments to follow these protocols.

Establishments must still maintain limited capacity for the entry of customers, while individuals entering the city must still wear face masks, face shields, and practice physical and social distancing.

In spite of easier entry to the city, the public is still warned that they cannot hold Christmas parties in the city because these activities can potentially gather crowds.

The mayor said that parties will be considered as mass gathering and are highly discouraged for this year’s Christmas season.

Small gatherings are still a risk and discouraged in general, although not entirely prohibited.

Caroling, on the other hand, in whatever way or form, is prohibited in all areas of the city, whether commercial or residential.

/bmjo