BACOLOD City – The daily curfew hours here has been shortened to five hours with the metro shifting to modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) until yearend.
The revised curfew hours from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. is contained in Mayor Evelio Leonardia’s Executive Order (EO) 73, Series of 2020 setting new quarantine guidelines issued Monday night.
Exempted are workers on night shifts, public emergencies like fire/ambulance services/other occasions caused by disaster or calamity, and those requiring medical assistance onboard public or private vehicles.
The previous curfew was six hours, from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. when the city was under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in September and under general community quarantine (GCQ) from October to November.
Bacolod’s de-escalation to MGCQ is good news, said Leonardia.
But the mayor warned his constituents, “If we are not careful, our problems might come back.”
“We have to be responsible during the holidays because the virus does not recognize Christmas and New Year,” Leonardia appealed.
Under EO 73, commercial centers are allowed to operate at 100 percent capacity, including non-leisure establishments except for those allowed to operate at less than 100 percent of operating capacities, and those not allowed to operate at all.
Leonardia also maintained the existing partial liquor ban. The sale and purchase is from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. only, and with consumption allowed only within private premises.
Meanwhile, mass gatherings such as but not limited to movie screenings, concerts, and other entertainment activities, religious services, and work conferences, are allowed but limited to only 50 percent of the venue or seating capacity.
Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, also the head of the Inter-Agency Task Force against COVID-19, said the curfew hours may be further adjusted from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. during the Simbang Gabi or predawn masses beginning Dec. 16.
According to Familiaran, Leonardia will likely approve Bishop Patricio Buzon’s request for a shorter curfew so that churches can reasonably accommodate churchgoers and at the same time prevent overcrowding.
In a proposal to Mayor Evelio Leonardia, Buzon stated that churches could schedule predawn masses between 3:30 a.m. and 5 a.m.
Simbang Gabi is an old Filipino tradition observed from Dec. 16 until Christmas eve on Dec. 24./PN
