ILOILO City – No more border control checkpoints. No need for quarantine passes. Non-essential establishments except personal care services reopen at 30 percent capacity. These begin today despite the city’s extended modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
According to Iloilo City COVID Team spokesperson Jeck Conlu, the city will no longer ask the national Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to lower the city’s quarantine status.
Relative to this, Mayor Jerry Treñas issued Executive Order (EO) No. 53 containing the guidelines for the extended MECQ until June 30.
The curfew is still from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. except those working in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) / Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) industries, warehouses, ports, arrastre, food manufacturing, storage and preservation, hospitals, and media.
Border controls are also lifted along with the travel passes. No more travel moratorium between Negros Island and Iloilo City.
But vulnerable sectors are still not allowed to go out of their houses. These include those 65 year old and above, those below 18 years old, pregnant women, persons with comorbidities and disabilities, except when securing essential goods and services.
Hotels and other accommodation establishments are also allowed to open.
The sale of alcoholic drinks is allowed but from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. only. Also, the consumption of these should be in private only.
The Iloilo Esplanade, playgrounds, parks, courts, and public plazas will open for individual outdoor exercises provided people wear facemasks and maintain social distancing except for direct or indirect contact sports.
Mass gatherings are still prohibited. Religious denominations may conduct worship services, weddings, and baptisms but at 30 percent capacity only.
For wakes and funerals, only immediate family members are allowed to attend. Wakes shall be conducted only three days maximum from the time of death.
COVID-infected individuals may opt for home quarantine with the approval of the District Medical Officers and recommendation of Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs).
All persons tagged as close contacts of infected persons are required to undergo 14-day quarantine.
Face-to-face classes are still suspended.
BUSINESSES ALLOWED TO OPEN
Full on-site capacity:
* private and public hospitals, clinics, health centers (dialysis, chemo, etc.).
* manufacturers of medicines and vitamins
* agriculture industries
* logistics services providers
* essential or priority construction projects
* food and essential goods manufacturing
* construction and maintenance manufacturers
* public markets, groceries, pharmacies, laundry shops, hardware, water-refilling stations
* restaurants, kiosks, and eateries (at 30 percent dine-in capacity)
* public transport providers
* water supply and sanitation facilities
* energy sector
* telecommunication, internet, cable service providers
* airline and aircraft maintenance
* security personnel licensed by the Philippine National Police
* printing establishments
* repair and maintenance of machinery
* teachers, professors and other school staff for purposes of conducting online/offline, and flexible classes, completion of grades, and processing of student credentials, requirements and documents
* lawyers who will provide legal representation necessary to protect rights of persons as well as legal services for permitted establishments, and law firms
* all other establishments, to the extent necessary for the buying and selling of consumer goods or services via the internet
Media establishments are allowed to open at 50 percent on-site capacity.
Those allowed at 30 percent on-site capacity are BPOs, dental, rehabilitation, optometry, and veterinary clinics, banks, money transfers, pawnshops, beauty salons, barbershops, and nail spas.
Meanwhile, prohibited to open are entertainment venues, recreational venues, amusement, theme parks, outdoor or indoor sports courts, casinos, horse racing, cockfighting, tourist attractions, libraries, museums, archives, galleries, and other face-to-face venues and other personal care services.
CITY HALL
At the Iloilo City government, only 75 percent capacity are allowed for the operation of the Bids and Awards Committee, Business Permit and Licensing Office, Accountant’s Office, Treasurer’s Office, Budget Office, Engineer’s Office, General Services Office.
Meantime, offices allowed to full on-site capacity are Health Office, Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, and Public Safety and Transportation Management Office.
OTHER GOV’T AGENCIES
Work in government agencies and offices in Iloilo City shall remain fully operational with a skeleton workforce on-site, enjoining to operate at 30 percent capacity, as determined by the head of agency, and the remainder under alternative work arrangements or work-from-home, as may be approved by the head of agency unless a greater on-site capacity is required in agencies providing health and emergency frontline services, among others./PN
