Cebu City EOC wants to keep curfew

A photo taken during the deployment of police personnel of Labangon Police Station to check if the areas within their jurisdiction follow the curfew.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Emergency Operations Center (EOC) wants to keep the curfew here from 11:30 p.m. to 4 a.m. to keep the COVID-19 cases low.

Councilor Joel Garganera, the deputy chief implementor of the EOC, said that they cannot recommend the lifting of the curfew yet as it has still been barely a month since the city recovered from the recent third surge.

“We don’t want to lose right away what we have gained over the past turbulent months.  We have to be circumspect in everything that we do especially with the coming holidays. We have to assess the next two weeks. We have to work on our vaccination double time as we have to hit our target before the year ends,” said Councilor Garganera. 

The Interagency Task Force (IATF) has lifted the curfew in Metro Manila starting November 4, 2021, allowing more movement in the economy.

Although the Cebu City government is leaning towards a full reopening of the economy, the EOC is still leaning on the side of caution, especially that the surge last August 2021 saw a death toll of around 300.

Aside from COVID-19 precautions, the EOC also understands that the police and the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) would feel a relief if the curfew remains as crimes and apprehensions are reduced significantly.

“You know aside from this pandemic we have to look at it in the eyes also of the police, our peace and order situation. Drastically we put crime incident also at a low level because of the enforcement of curfew, in addition our CCTO reported low incidence of vehicular accidents because also of curfew,” Garganera said. 

“Duol na ang pasko dili unta sila magpalabi sa ilang gibati permi gyud ta magmatngon aron hayag atong parol karon pasko.” 

On Thursday, the Cebu City Police Office also recommended that curfew remain in the city for the holiday seasons not only to keep COVID-19 cases down, but to also reduce incidents of crimes.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations, said the curfew has significantly reduced crimes at night.

For now, to ensure that the COVID-19 situation remains as it is, the EOC has deployed contact tracers to barangay and sitios, not to contract trace but to hold seminars.

The contact tracers turned teachers will be reminding the residents about the importance of health protocols and the dire need for vaccination in order for life in the city to return to a semblance of normalcy after the pandemic.

/bmjo

READ MORE: Police to strictly enforce new curfew hours starting Friday, July 30