ILOILO – In the city of Passi, a person not wearing facemask in public may end up behind bars or fined.
“Dakpon kag pabayaron sang penalty ang wala naga-facemask sa mga publiko nga lugar,” Mayor Stephen Palmares told policemen.
Facemask covering the nose and mouth of the wearer prevents droplets expelled when coughing or sneezing.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreads from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales.
These droplets also land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.
“Padayon kita suksok sang facemask, maghugas sang alima ukon i-sanitize ka alcohol kag mag-distansiya sa mga tawo sa palibot. Padayon lamang kita nga magtenir sa aton panimalay,” Palmares reminded his constituents.
Aside from cops, the mayor also tasked some personnel of the city government to take pictures and obtain the names of quarantine violators.
The last few days saw the city recording more COVID-19 cases, most of which were detected at the public market. The sharp spike also prompted the city government to place the entire metro under the stringent enhanced community quarantine for two weeks.
As soon Palmares decreed his latest order on Thursday, personnel of the Passi City police station with the help of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office roamed around the metro to check compliance of the public.
So far, according to Palmares, no violators have been apprehended or fined yet.
As of Thursday, Passi City had 270 active COVID-19 infections out of 576 total confirmed cases./PN
