Photo courtesy of Bacolod City PIO
BACOLOD CITY – The city government will enforce the home quarantine pass (HQP) system and set up border check-up points anew from September 3 to 15 as Bacolod shifts to a month-long general community quarantine (GCQ) starting Tuesday.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia placed the city under GCQ from September 1 to 30 as provided in Executive Order (EO) 57, following the approval of the National Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) on Monday night.
Leonardia issued EO 58 on Tuesday afternoon to establish the HQP system and check-up points to regulate the movement of people within the city and the entry/exit of out-of-towners.
“(This is established) as a means of stemming the local spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections,” he said, citing the emergency authority granted to him under City Ordinance 937, dated August 25, as the basis for his directive.
As of early Monday, Bacolod had 1,285 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 794 active cases, 466 recoveries, and 25 deaths.
Bacolod first adopted the HQP system when it was placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from March 30 to May 15 to regulate the movement of Bacolodnons within the city and to help each household access its basic provisions of food, medicines, health, and other essential commodities and services.
“There shall be new issuances of HQP by the city government in coordination with the respective barangays. The HQP is not for sale and neither would it entail any cost for its issuance,” Leonardia stated in EO 58.
The pass will be issued to each household, primarily to one household member who is of competent age and discretion (at least 21 years old and above) but it may be passed on to a maximum of three other qualified members of the same household whose names are written on the back portion of the HQP.
Only one of these authorized holders will be out of the household, at any given time.
Based on the odd-even scheme, holders with passes ending in odd numbers – 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 – are permitted to leave their houses and use the HQP on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays while those with HQP ending in even numbers – 2, 4, 6, 8, 0 – are permitted to leave their houses on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
On Sundays, no HQP holders are permitted to leave their households.
The HQP cannot also be used as a travel pass through other towns and cities outside of Bacolod.
From September 3 to 15, the Bacolod City Police Office and its force multipliers may also be employed and deployed to establish and maintain check-up points at the city’s borders and within the city.
Meanwhile, during the month-long GCQ, the city government has extended its curfew limit by two more hours -- to 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., from the previous 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. -- and partially lifted the liquor ban, allowing the selling of alcoholic beverages from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. (PNA)
