Cebu City restricts movement of unvaxxed residents starting Jan. 1
The Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral is filled with churchgoers on the first day of the Misa de Gallo 2020. This year’s Dawn Masses will have a different feel as only fully-vaccinated parishioners will be allowed to attend. CDN Digital photo | Delta Letigio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City will be implementing more restrictive policies against unvaccinated individuals starting January 1, 2022.
In a newly released directive, Mayor Michael Rama has specified that entry establishments, events, contact sports, face-to-face classes, Misa De Gallo, Christmas caroling, and many other activities be allowed only for vaccinated individuals.
The rationale for such drastic policies is that the city aims to vaccinate all eligible residents by the end of 2021, which means that by January 2022, only minors below age 12 should remain unvaccinated.
DIRECTIVE-NO.-11-30-2021-01 details the policies surrounding the following:
- Attendance and conduct of Misa de Gallo
- Christmas and New Year Midnight Mass Celebration
- Fiesta Celebration and Mass
- Sinulog Activities
- Holy Week Activities and Procession
- Political Activities and Campaign
- School Graduation
- Conduct of Professional Licensure Examination including Bar Examination
- Cinemas and movie houses
- Limited face-to–face or in-person classes for basic education
- Limited face-to-face or in-person classes for higher education and for technical-vocational education and training
- Night Market operation
Of the twelve areas of policies stated in the directive, one thing is common for all, that only vaccinated individuals can enter establishments and participate in any public activities.
Restaurants in particular will have a capacity of 50 percent indoor and 70 percent outdoor, but this time, only fully vaccinated individuals will be served with the exception of ineligible minors who are accompanied by at least fully vaccinated parents.
Minors aged 12 to 17 who are not vaccinated will not be allowed entry to any establishment even when accompanied by a fully vaccinated parent.
Personal service establishments such as spas, salons, sports centers, and others, including cinemas, concert halls, theatres, amusement parks, kiddie parks, recreational centers, all non-essential establishments can no longer allow entry to non-vaccinated individuals. Their staff and personnel must be fully vaccinated as well.
Even activities such as Christmas carolling, Christmas and New Year parties, contact sports, attending the Misa De Gallo, and limited face-to-face classes will be limited to fully vaccinated individuals only.
Only vaccinated individuals can enter the churches during the Misa De Gallo, play sports in their local barangay gyms, and only vaccinated teachers and students of colleges and universities may be allowed to hold or attend physical classes.
Curfew has been set at midnight to 3 a.m. daily, and all liquor service establishments must comply or else they will lose their permits to serve alcoholic beverages, still, provided that their staff and customers are fully vaccinated.
Carollers and partygoers must also comply with the curfew or else they will be apprehended and either do community services or asked to pay a fine.
For minors below 18 years old, their curfew is from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. daily. If they are found wandering at these hours, they will be rescued.
For contact sports in the barangays, only fully vaccinated individuals can play while practices and games must be prescheduled with no audience in the venue as discouraged.
Only fully vaccinated vendors can sell on the designated sidewalk slots including in the firecracker zone to be set up by the city in the coming days.
Finally, travelers entering Cebu City ports will need to present their vaccination cards with a QR code or a vaccination certificate from the Department of Health (DOH) upon arrival.
For unvaccinated individuals, they will need to present negative RT-PCR test results within 72 hours of departure. An alternative can be either an antigen test or saliva test results within 48 hours of departure.
Although the directive does not penalize unvaccinated individuals nor prevent them from entering essential establishments such as markets, banks, and medical facilities, the directive limits their movement considerably.
The city government hopes that the new policies will encourage or prompt people to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 before the year ends.
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