Despite loosened restrictions, police reminds public to follow basic health protocols

Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Around 1,366 protocol violators, 154 of them were rescued minors, were recorded in Cebu City from November 8 to 14 after restrictions were eased here.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said that they expect more violators in the coming days with the easing of restrictions.

Of the violations, Parilla said that most apprehensions were due to failure to comply with the curfew hours and failure to wear face masks.

The curfew hours in Cebu City is from 11:30 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.

READ: Curfew lifting in Cebu City may be gradual – Rama

“Even though we have lighter restrictions but still ang atoning pag implement sa health protocol aggressive gihapon…ang wearing of facemasks is still a must. Only ang face shield ang atoang gitangtang but dunay prohibition sa hospitals and other laboratories, diagnostic clinics,” Parilla said.

(Even though we [now] have lighter restrictions but still we aggressively implement our health protocols…wearing facemasks is still a must. Only face shields were scrapped but there is still prohibition, especially in hospitals and other laboratories, diagnostic clinics.)

READ: What to Expect: Entire Cebu under Alert Level 2

Parilla believes the public is complacent as they misconceive that there are no longer apprehensions since restrictions here are already loosened. He reminds the public that they are still strictly implementing protocols.

He further said that they anticipate more of these violators in the coming days since Police Colonel Josefino Ligan, CCPO director, already signed and approved the pulling out of quarantine control points on Monday, November 15.

Additional personnel and some personnel from the barangay public security personnel will now monitor the interior portions of the barangays assigned to them.

“Kung ato nani sila nga ihatag sa barangay, mas maka expect pata nga daghan tag ma apprehend…Ang atoa nalang ron kay minimum health protocols, wearing of facemasks, liquor ban, and curfew,” he added.

(If we give this [duty] to the barangay, we expect more of the apprehensions. What we focus more on these days in our minimum health protocols is wearing facemasks, liquor ban, and curfew.)

READ: Cops in Cebu City quarantine control points converted into roving patrols

Despite mentioned figures, Parilla said that there are still lesser violators compared to previous operations wherein they average around 200 violators per day. For this week alone, they average at least a hundred daily violators. The reason behind their lesser apprehensions is that some protocols, such as the mandatory wearing of face shields, hasalready been lifted except in hospitals and clinics.

“Naa gihapoy COVID. That is why magpabilin gihapon atoang strict implementation sa minimum health protocol,” he added.

(There is still COVID. That is why we sustain our strict implementation of the minimum health protocol.)

As of November 14, 2021, the Department of Health in Central Visayas has recorded six new COVID-19 cases in Cebu City bringing its total number to 241 active cases.

/bmjo

READ: Effective strategies, collaboration with LGU lowered COVID-19 cases in Cebu City, says CCPO exec