ILOILO City – Starting tomorrow, May 26, only essential travelers will be allowed to enter this southern city, according to Mayor Jerry Treñas.
Checkpoints will be established in all entry points, Treñas said, noting this would prevent further transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
This city is under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until May 31.
As of yesterday, Iloilo City had 1,028 active COVID infections and 195 deaths, data from the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6 showed.
Meanwhile, Treñas clarified that the city will continue to receive locally stranded individuals (LSIs), returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) and Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APORs) from Manila as long as they submit themselves for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing here.
“We understand the difficulties they are all facing,” said Treñas.
NON-ESSENTIALS PROHIBITED
In a meeting with the Iloilo City COVID team, Treñas reiterated that all non-essential businesses are not allowed to operate.
Based on Treñas’ Executive Order No. 41-2021, the following establishments, persons, or activities are prohibited:
* entertainment venues with live performers such as karaoke bars, bars, clubs, concert halls, theaters, and cinemas;
* recreational venues such as internet cafes, billiard halls, amusement arcades, bowling alleys, and similar venues;
* amusement parks or theme parks, fairs/peryas, kid amusement industries such as playgrounds, playroom, and kiddie rides;
* outdoor sports courts or venues for contact sports, scrimmages, games, or activities;
* indoor sports courts or venues, fitness studios, gyms, spas or other indoor leisure centers or facilities, and swimming pools;
* casinos, horse racing, cockfighting and operation of cockpits (including the conduct of e-sabong as the same is only allowed under modified general community quarantine), lottery and betting shops, and other gaming establishments except for the draws conducted by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office;
* indoor visitor or tourist attractions, libraries, archives, museums, galleries, and cultural shows and exhibits;
* outdoor tourist attractions;
* venues for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions; and
* personal care services which include beauty salons, beauty parlors, among others
POLICE PREPARATION
Meanwhile, the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) is beefing up the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) to enforce the MECQ guidelines.
Two hundred personnel from the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 6 have already reported to the ICPO yesterday.
But Police Brigadier General Rolando Miranda, PRO-6 director, ordered 300 more personnel (fresh graduates programmed to undergo the Field Training Program) to augment.
“As promised, I will be giving more personnel to augment Iloilo City to ensure that minimum health standards and guidelines during MECQ are properly implemented,” Miranda said.
These 500 personnel will be put under the operational control of ICPO. They will be divided among ICPO’s different units.
MORE MEDICAL PERSONNEL
On the other hand, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and local chief executives in Western Visayas enjoined the DOH to add medical personnel to hospitals here.
The national IATF recognizes that Iloilo City and the provinces of Iloilo, Capiz and Aklan are experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Treñas also shared that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will give support to affected residents.
He also noted that vaccine czar and National Task Force Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. also gave commitment to allocate more COVID vaccines for Western Visayas./PN
