RESTRICTED. General Santos City Mayor Ronnel Rivera (left), accompanied by City Administrator Arnel Zapatos (right), announces on Friday that they will restrict starting weekend the movement of residents and visitors going in and out of the city amid fears over the increasing confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus 2019 in the country. He says the travel restrictions include a prohibition on non-essential travels as well as the implementation of a city-wide curfew. (PNA photo by Richelyn Gubalani)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The city government will restrict starting weekend the movement of residents and visitors going in and out here amid fears over the increasing confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) in the country.
Mayor Ronnel Rivera said Friday the local government will implement “preventive restrictions on non-essential travels and if necessary a preventive suspension on non-essential travels” as well as a city-wide curfew but maintained that the city is not declaring a lockdown.
Rivera the moves were in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of a public health emergency, raising the alert level on Covid-19 to Code Red (Sub-level 2).
Rivera said the travel restriction will ensure that the movement of people will be minimized for easier monitoring.
He clarified that it does not cover the movement of food and related products since the city is considered a food hub and a major artery for food movement in the Soccsksargen region and the neighboring areas.
“We have to be prudent on the restrictions because while being strict, we still want to ensure food security and economic stability in the city and the region,” he said in a press conference.
GenSan curfew
Rivera said this will be enforced by the city police and the Army-led Joint Task Force GenSan in all entry and exit points in the area.
To complement the travel restrictions, he said they will enforce a city-wide curfew from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. “to minimize non-essential person-to-person contact.”
He said workers and other professionals and those who can show proof of the necessity to move during the curfew period will be exempted, especially health workers, emergency responders, and other health professionals.
The mayor said classes in all levels in private and public schools will be suspended starting next Monday, March 16 “until further notice.”
He said all other school-related activities like graduation and moving up ceremonies have also been canceled.
“We are requesting all residents of the city to avoid mass gatherings, including church services, parties, cockfights, derbies, large congregations, group gatherings, and other civic gatherings,” he said.
To ensure the safety of local government employees, he said its offices will just employ skeletal forces.
Public transport drivers and operators are required to use a mask to protect the general riding public, he said.
“Travelers coming from Manila in the next 48 hours -- because of the pending community quarantine – will undergo monitored self-quarantine,” he said.
Rivera added that they will convene the price monitoring council to ensure consumer protection through “comprehensive monitoring on the implementation of the price freeze and applicable portions of the Price Act.”
SoCot travel restrictions
In a press conference in Koronadal City, South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. said the province is ready to seal off its entry and exit points to complement the travel restriction.
“Since the province will also be affected, it’s only prudent for us to also go with it so we can properly safe keep our area of responsibility,” he said.
The governor said they will specifically monitor the highways in the municipalities of Sto. Nino, Norala, and Tantangan, all of which are in the province’s boundary with Sultan Kudarat.
He said these areas are the main entry points of travelers from Northern Mindanao and the neighboring regions through the passenger bus routes from Cagayan de Oro City to Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat and General Santos.
The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed earlier this week a confirmed case of Covid-19, the first in Mindanao, in Cagayan de Oro City.
Still Covid-free
As of Friday, the entire Region 12 or Soccsksargen has remained free from Covid-19 based on a situation report released by DOH-12.
The City Health Office (CHO) said at least 16 persons under monitoring (PUM) are currently undergoing the 14-day mandatory home quarantine due to their history of travel to countries with confirmed Covid-19 cases.
Dr. Rochelle Oco, acting CHO head, said 13 PUMs have been so far cleared after completing their quarantine without any symptoms of Covid-19.
Oco said the PUMs had traveled to China, Thailand, Cambodia, Kuwait, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Italy, Japan, and Vietnam.
She said the two reported patients under investigation (PUI) in the city were already discharged after testing negative with the disease.
The Integrated Provincial Health Office of South Cotabato reported that eight PUMs are still undergoing home quarantine while four PUIs have been admitted and awaiting their test results for Covid-19.
A total of 28 PUMs and seven PUIs were reported in the province since the monitoring started on Jan. 29.
PUIs tracked down
In Sarangani, the Provincial Health Office said two of its PUIs have already tested negative for Covid-19 while another case was referred to the isolation facility of a private hospital here on Thursday.
Dr. Arvin Alejandro, Sarangani health officer, said the latest case was the 10-year-old daughter of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) from Glan town who returned home from Japan last Feb. 28.
He said the OFW manifested flu-like symptoms after several days but did not submit herself to testing and isolation.
The OFW and her sister hastily left the area early this week and reportedly proceeded to Davao City to process their return to Japan, he said.
The two were tracked down by authorities on Friday and brought to the Southern Philippines Medical Center to undergo quarantine. (PNA)
