Governor Aurelio Umali has ordered the suspension of classes in all levels in both public and private schools from March 16 to April 14 as a precautionary measure against the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Umali issued on Saturday, March 14, Executive Order No. 006-2020 which also imposes a temporary ban on mass gatherings within the said period.

Umali underscored in his EO that the Department of Health (DOH) “strongly urges the public to avoid attending and participating in mass gatherings and organizing crowd-drawing events to minimize exposure and risks of further transmission of the disease.”

“It is necessary and appropriate to take action to control the spread of Covid-19 and to keep safe and secure the residents and visitors of the province of Nueva Ecija amid the public health threat, ” the EO reads.

Earlier, Cabanatuan City Mayor Myca Ekizabeth Vergara ordered an indefinite suspension of classes, in all levels both in public and private, starting Saturday, as per Executive Order 2020-005 issued Friday.

In her EO, Vergara stressed that the temporary suspension of classes was part of preventive measures “to avoid, contain and mitigate the possible transmission of the Covid-19.”

Vergara issued the EO comes in the wake of President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of a State of Public Health Emergency under Proclamation No. 922 that enjoined all national agencies and local government units to immediately act to contain Covid-19.

She said the Cabanatuan city government will periodically evaluate whether such suspension shall continue, depending on the prevailing conditions and upon the advice of the DOH.

Cabanatuan City, dubbed as the trade and education center of Nueva Ecija where students come from as far as northern and eastern parts of Luzon, is host to various schools, universities and colleges.

Several private and public schools in the city have implemented the use of thermo scanners to monitor people entering their premises. (PNA)