New Year’s day beachgoers crowd Lapu public beaches, ignore health protocols

Beachgoers crowd this public beach in Barangay Maribago in Lapu-Lapu City totally ignoring standard health protocols. | Photo Courtesy of Nagiel Banacia, CDRRMO head

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines – The Lapu-Lapu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) is reminding the public once again that the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still in our midst after beachgoers were seen crowding the different public beaches in the city on New Year’s day and ignoring social distancing.

Nagiel Bañacia, head of the CDRRMO, told CDN Digital that the majority of the beachgoers are non-Lapu-Lapu City residents, with some coming from as far as Barangays Talamban and Pit-os in Cebu City.

Bañacia said that people gathered on beaches, to bring their New Year Parties leftover and to enjoy the last days of the Holidays.

“Wala na masunod uy, nagsikit na gyud. Nagsalig naman gud ni sila kay sa Lapu-Lapu, 20 na ka adlaw nga nag-negative mi,” Bañacia said.

Bañacia was worried about some beachgoers, who only took public transport in going to the beach.

“Ang uban dili taga Lapu-Lapu, sakay lang ug public transport. Mao nay kuyaw nga gikan sa ubang lugar,” he added.

Due to this, he said that the CDRRMO has distributed leaflets, and deployed their COVID busters to educate the public about the virus using loudspeakers.

They also reminded beachgoers to wear their face mask and other personal protective equipment (PPEs) upon leaving the beach.

Lapu-Lapu City mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan, for his part, said that he already asked the assistance of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in monitoring the city’s public beaches.

“Way hunong ang atong pagpasusi, labi na sa mga public beaches. Monitoring lang gyud ta aron pagseguro, especially ato ning gipahugtan tungod sa bag-ong strain sa virus,” Chan said.

Chan, however, admitted that they temporarily pulled-out policemen assigned in the city’s border checkpoints, to ease the city’s traffic situation, especially last December.

He said that policemen were redeployed in establishments and public areas, such as public beaches, wherein they continue to ensure that the public is properly complying with the minimum health and safety protocols implemented by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID).

“Labi na pag December, daghang nanggawas, adto nalang gi-implement sa mga establishments ug public beaches kung asa sila padulong,” he added. /rcg