Mayor Edgardo Labella distributed 2,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) to the frontliners in the fight to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) here.
The PPE were distributed to the medical and rescue volunteers and personnel of the Philippine National Police and Philippine Army assigned in checkpoints to ensure the strict implementation of social distancing in public utility vehicles while the city is under a state of general community quarantine.
Labella underscored the need to protect the frontliners from being infected with the viral disease.
He also announced the issuance of another executive order that requires drivers delivering essential goods such as food, water and medicines to also wear PPE and strictly implement the social distancing.
The new EO (no. 61) will not allow delivery trucks inside the city if the driver is not wearing PPE, he said.
He also included in the new EO (No. 61) the implementation of strict social distancing” of customers in establishments considered as exempted and are allowed to operate despite the community quarantine.
He noticed that customers in groceries, supermarkets, and pharmacies, among other establishments, stood so close to each other, ignoring the earlier announced policy on social distancing.
“Atong nakita nga wala gyud sila mo-observe sa social distancing (We can see that they failed to observe social distancing) and that’s the reason we should strictly enforce this to ensure no overcrowding in the premises,” Labella said.
Labella warned that he is considering the idea of effecting an arrest of individuals who would ignore the social distancing policy, saying that if the solution is “to arrest them, that will be an option”.
The mayor said he will meet with the new chief of the Cebu City Police Office, Col. Hector Grijaldo Jr., and the head of the Business Licensing Office of the city government, to discuss ways to strictly implement social distancing in establishments declared exempted from the temporary closure due to the quarantine measure. (PNA)
