Siquijor to require use of home quarantine, working passes starting Sept. 23

The St. Francis of Assisi Church in Siquijor town in Siquijor province. | CDN Digital Photo | Morexette Marie B. Erram

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – Starting on Thursday, September 23, 2021, Siquijor province residents will already be required to present their home quarantine pass (HQP) when they go out of their homes to purchase essentials.

A working pass will also be issued to private sector workers. The working pass together with the workers vaccination card is required for presentation during inspection, according to Executive Order No. 2021-ZSV-024 Series of 2021.

On the other hand, front-liners, uniformed personnel, medical doctors, health workers, first responders, and employees of the municipal and provincial disaster risk reduction and management offices (MDRRMO/PDRRMO) and the municipal and provincial IATF will be asked to present their government-issued ID and vaccination card.

“Further, government employees of Siquijor Provincial Capitol, National Government Agencies  and instrumentalities of the government need only to present the IDs of their respective agencies when going to work,” the EO reads.

Both the HQP and working pass requirements are expected to end on October 2, unless extended or lifted sooner.

On Sunday, Sept. 19, Governor Zaldy Villa, issued  an Executive Order No. 2021-ZSV-024 Series of 2021, imposing a COVID-19 “Alert Level 4 system with heightened restrictions in the entire province.”

Villa said he saw the need to implement restrictions following the rise in active cases of the coronavirus disease in their province in the last few days.

From September 1 to 19, Siquijor logged a total of 359 active cases of COVID-19.

Under his new EO, Villa said, that one HQP that will bear the name of the fully vaccinated family member will be given to each of the households in their province.

The person, whose name appears on the HQP, is the only family member who is allowed to go out provided that he/she will also bring a valid identification card with him/her.

In the event that the said person is unable to go out of his/her home, another vaccinated family member can take his/her place in using the assigned HQP.

As the province implements its stay-at-home policy, persons aged below 18-years-old and those who are already over 65 years old, those with immunodeficiencies, comorbidities, and other health risks individuals are prohibited from going outside of their residence.

Vaccinated pregnant women are also advised to remain in their respective homes, except when there is a need to purchase goods and services, report to work in permitted industries and offices or in case of emergencies.

Meanwhile, the provincial government has imposed granular lockdowns in the houses, puroks, or barangays with active cases of the infection to contain its transmission.

A province-wide curfew that starts at 10 p.m. and will continue until 4 a.m. of the next day will also be implemented.  But an exemption will be granted to essential workers who had to report for work.

Villa’s EO is also reminding businesses to only require vaccinated employees to report for work while their province remains under Alert Level 4.

Dine-in at 20 percent capacity will only be allowed for vaccinated residents while al fresco or outdoor dining services will be allowed at 50 percent capacity.

In-person religious gatherings are allowed in outdoor venues at a maximum capacity of 30 percent. However, fiesta celebrations and non-essential gatherings remain prohibited.

Gatherings for necrological services, wakes, inurnment and funerals for those who died of COVID-19 will also be limited to immediate family members only.

Public transportation will remain operation at 50 percent capacity.

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/ dcb