ILOILO – The provincial government is no longer imposing curfew hours Under COVID-19 Alert Level 1.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) passed Provincial Ordinance (P.O.) No. 2022-280 on this, amending P.O. No. 2020-220 that imposed curfew hours in the entire province as a measure against the spread of coronavirus disease 2019.
P.O. 2022-280 set new curfews on the following COVID-19 Alert Level Systems:
* Alert Level 1 – no curfew
* Alert Level 2 from 12 midnight to 4 a.m.
* Alert Level 3 from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.
* Alert Level 4 from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
* Alert Level 5 from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.
According to 2nd District Provincial Board member June Mondejar, COVID-19 cases are easing.
“Daw indi naman gid alarming…Then gusto ta man nga makabulig sa economic recovery,” said Mondejar, chairperson of the SP Committee on Public Order and Safety.
However, Mondejar said, the lifting of curfew does not encourage loitering late at night.
Prior to the amendment, the curfew hours were from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Exempted from this were:
* government officials and employees in the performances of their official duties and functions and those returning home from such performance of duties and functions
* medical professionals, healthcare providers, and those providing medical support services, in the performance of their tasks related to their profession or responding to an emergency and those returning home from such performance of duties
* those in the legal profession and their paralegals travelling to render legal assistance to clients undergoing custodial investigation
* those under medical emergency when travelling to a hospital or a clinic for treatment and those responding to emergency calls
* persons delivering food, medicines, essential basic necessities, and prime commodities including raw materials necessary to the production thereof, provided only the driver and not more than two helpers are in the delivery vehicle
* those employed in the private sector, reporting for work and coming home from their place of work, provided sufficient proof is presented that their work schedule necessities that they travel later than 10 p.m. or earlier than 4 a.m., as the case may be
* persons transiting for travel to the airport or seaport facilities
* persons providing basic services and public utilities except public transport.
As of Sept. 5, there were 1,164 active COVID-19 cases in the province./PN
