THE City of Davao is under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) starting 9 p.m. of April 4, 2020, until 11:59 p.m. of April 14, 2020. a measure to slow down the local transmission of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19)
“There is no need to panic about the ECQ, but there is a need to panic about Covid-19. I urged everyone that if you go out and buy food, please wear the prescribed masks for your safety,” the mayor assured Dabawenyos in a radio interview on Thursday.
Duterte’s Executive Order 23 orders the suspension of operation of mass transport and limiting the movement of people, curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., and liquor ban from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m.
Under ECQ all government offices must work from home and leave a skeletal force to continue work in offices except those involved in security, health, social services, sanitation, and disaster, who must continue to work on full operation.
Only groceries, supermarkets, wet markets/palengkes, food commissaries, food processing or manufacturing, food delivery services, wholesale food outlets, convenience stores, sari-sari stores, hospitals, medical laboratories, pharmacies, drug stores, other healths services/personnel, banks and ATMs, savings and credit employees, money transfer services and bayad centers, courier services, other delivery services, doctor’s and dentist’s clinics, gas stations, water refilling stations, LPG stations, business process outsourcing/call centers, and mass media outlets are allowed to open provided physical distancing is observed at all times.
Essential sectors like energy, water, telecommunications can only work on preventive maintenance and emergencies.
Manufacturing, fabrication and construction work not related to the public emergency are not allowed to operate, while agri-business and farms should reduce workload and extend deadlines to reduce workers on-site and should observe physical distancing.
While the city is under ECQ, ambulant vendors who are using different modes of transportation to sell basic food commodities in the barangays shall be allowed.
On public transportation, only private vehicles and taxis with one driver and one passenger in front and one at the back; tricycle with one driver and one passenger in front and one at the back; single rider motorcycle or bicycle; free bus rides from the government are allowed to operate.
“We have to limit the mass transportation to also limit the movement of the people so that they will stay in their houses,” Duterte pointed out.
Food and medicine passes will be distributed and shall only be used to buy food, medicines or go to the hospital. Two individuals can be named on the pass, but only one named person can use it from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Duterte said individuals with “food and medicine passes” will be allowed to do essential tasks and will benefit from the transportation that the City Government has provided.
Davao City Police Office (DCPO) Director Kirby John Kraft said the food and medicine (FM) pass will be implemented on Tuesday, April 7, as some villages are still waiting for the passes, which will be utilized by their constituents during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
The exempted personnel are permitted to travel using buses commissioned by the City Government
Exempted from the curfew are government employees related to security, health, social, sanitation and disaster workers, employees of 24 hours groceries/convenience store, wet market/palengkes, food commissaries, food processing or manufacturing, food delivery services, hospitals, medical laboratories, pharmacies, drug stores, other healths services/personnel, doctor’s and dentist’s clinics, gas stations, and mass media outlets.
Duterte’s guidelines also stressed that no minor, senior citizen, pregnant women, sick and immunocompromised individuals can go out of the residence except to go to the hospital or medical procedures.
Meanwhile, the mayor did not rule out implementing tougher lockdown rules, saying an Extreme Enhanced Community Quarantine (EECQ) is on the table if the Covid-19 remains a public threat.
“Hopefully we will not reach to the point that we will have to implement an EECQ. Personally, I do not want it,” she said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Lenny Joy Rivera, assistant regional director of the Department of Health in Davao Region (DOH-11), said they expect a rise of positive cases next week but with the ECQ implementation, the rate of infection is also projected to go down.
“It’s nice to know that the city was placed under ECQ. It means that there will be less contact with the people and we are expecting a lesser rate of infection during its implementation,” she said.
As of April 2, DOH-11 said the region has a total of 73 confirmed Covid-19 patients with 11 deaths and 21 full recoveries.