HEALTH STANDARD. Policemen manning a checkpoint inspect a public utility jeepney to ensure passengers comply with the minimum health standards in this undated photo. The Zamboanga City Police Office reported 279 various violations of quarantine guidelines on Thursday (July 1 2021). (Photo courtesy of ZCPO Station 5 Facebook)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – The “no swab test, no entry policy” remains a mandatory requirement for everyone who will travel here, regardless of the purpose of the trip.
The policy is mandated under Executive Order (EO) No. 644-2021 issued by Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar last week after the national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases placed this city under general community quarantine (GCQ) for the entire July.
“It will be difficult for us to monitor and contain the spread of Covid-19 infections without the RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) or swab test of people coming in and out of this city during this time of the pandemic,” Salazar said in a previous statement on Friday.
Travelers must also apply for the Safe, Swift Smart Passage (S-Pass) through S-Pass.ph and submit the requirements, including the RT-PCR results within five days from the date of collection of the specimen.
The EO lifted the city-wide lockdown on Sundays but the 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew shall stay.
Liquor ban in all establishments and public places also remains.
This city was placed under GCQ after Covid-19 active cases dropped to 476 as of June 30, coming from modified enhanced community quarantine since May 8.
Meanwhile, the Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) reported 279 violations of quarantine guidelines and health protocols on Thursday, the first day of GCQ.
The ZCPO said absence of quarantine pass or valid identification card topped the list with 133 offenses, followed by curfew violations at 67.
The other offenses were non-wearing of face shield, 46; non-wearing of face mask, 18; non-observance of safe physical distancing, 11; use of unauthorized crash helmet, 3; and unauthorized motorcycle back-riding, 1. (PNA)
