BACOLOD CITY – Occupants of San Carlos City Public Market in Negros Occidental will not be required to pay rental fees while the general community quarantine against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains in effect in the northern city.
This is stated in Executive Order (EO) 116, series of 2020 issued by Mayor Renato Gustilo to take effect on Friday.
“Rental fees for space/stalls inside the premises collected by the city government are waived upon the effectivity of this order and until the state of general community quarantine is lifted,” he said.
However, arrears are not covered and will still have to be paid.
Gustilo also included in the order the regulation of the market hours of the city’s public market.
Starting Friday, new market hours will only be from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., which also applies to vendors occupying spaces outside the public market building.
Vendors will be allowed to enter one hour before opening to prepare for display and will be given one hour after closing to clean and sanitize their stalls and leave the market.
Children entry is also prohibited on market premises.
Night market food vendors will still be allowed to ply their trade from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Earlier, Gustilo urged his constituents to follow the state of general community quarantine in the city.
In EO 114, he advised residents to stay at home and avoid loitering, mass gathering, and partying.
Gustilo also called on residents to refrain from panic buying because grocery stores and supermarkets will continue to operate.
Three checkpoints have been set up in the city, including the one in the Negros Oriental border in Barangay Buluangan.
At the City Hall, he also ordered the suspension of the use of biometric timekeeping and closure of all side gates of the building.
As of Tuesday, San Carlos had three patients under investigation and 133 persons under monitoring. (PNA)
