Cebu City to release Alert Level 2 guidelines within the week

An aerial view of a part of Cebu City.    | CDN FILE PHOTO

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City will be releasing the guidelines for the implementation of the quarantine Alert Level systems here following the implementation of the new system all over the country.

The city along with the rest of Cebu is placed under Alert Level No. 2 which refers to ‘areas wherein case transmission is low and decreasing, healthcare utilization is low, or case counts are low but increasing, or case counts are low and decreasing but total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate is increasing.’

Acting Mayor Michael Rama has called a meeting with all stakeholders today, October 19, 2021, to jumpstart the formulation of another directive or Executive Order (EO) that will be issued corresponding to the raised Alert Level.

“Definitely magconsultation pa mi ana. What will be prevailing will be what we need to be complying. We will meet today kay aron ma align ang atong policies,” said the acting mayor.

The city government will formulate its policy as guided by the Alert Level System but will continue to innovate according to what is best for its constituents and the present situation.

Rama notes that Cebu City is a business hub and the majority of the people working here are transients, meaning they work in the city but live elsewhere.

This has to be taken into account with drafting the new policy adapting the Alert Level while ensuring the balance between public health and the slow reopening of the economy.

Councilor Joel Garganera, the deputy chief implementer of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), said they have been meeting with the various business establishments on how to improve the protection of both staff and customers.

Garganera said the city is looking into a new technology that can detect the carbon dioxide levels inside the establishment as well as the flow of air.

This can be used to ensure that only a specific number of people

An aerial view of a part of Cebu City. CDN FILE PHOTO

are in an enclosed area for any given time, allowing more individuals to be accommodated in an establishment.

There is also a possibility that in the next directive to be released by the city, indoor business establishments may be reserved only for fully vaccinated establishments, although this is still being studied.

“How can you get a different result if we are going to employ the same strategy? Bago natong stratehiya nato nga kung enclosed gani, we will only allow fully vaccinated. I’m not saying what we are doing here is perfect, but we have to try because we need to equip ourselves. Dili lang nga makuntento nga pirmi lang ta lockdown,” said Garganera.     /rcg