The 13 towns of Benguet have prepared its respective health protocols after the province has been placed anew under general community quarantine until July 15.
In the GCQ guidelines previously issued by Gov. Melchor Diclas, those below 21 years old and 60 years old and above, pregnant women, and those who are immuno compromised, or with other health risks are not allowed to go out except for obtaining essential goods and services.
Residents are also only allowed to go out when accessing essential goods and services on market days set by their local government units and when working in offices or industries permitted to operate.
Gyms/fitness studios and sports facilities are not allowed to open while outdoor exercises and non-contact sports such as walking, jogging, running, biking, tennis, badminton, range shooting and skate boarding are allowed.
The emergency operations center, which implements the hatid-sundo operation for locally stranded individuals, will continue to operate.
Contact numbers for locally stranded individuals who want to come home are 0927-628-4961 and 0951-858-8752 and for returning overseas Filipino workers – 0967-450-7404 and 0947-486-1339.
Establishments providing leisure and entertainment, including those in malls and shopping centers and similar services such as tourist destinations, cultural centers, Internet and computer shops, personal care services like massage parlors and pet grooming services are not allowed to operate.
Mass gatherings are not allowed, although religious gatherings may be allowed provided the number of attendees shall be limited to 10 persons.
Only health workers, government workers, those traveling for medical and humanitarian reasons, workers in permitted establishments and persons providing essential goods and services and public utilities, repatriated OFWs returning to their residences and those traveling to the airport for travel abroad may be allowed outside their residences.
Checkpoints are also activated in the various municipal borders.
For Bakun, visitors are limited to residents of Baguio and Benguet only but may be allowed entry for permitted travels and transactions.
In Tuba, residents are allowed access to markets in Pugo and Rosario, La Union but are still required to present a quarantine or travel pass issued by their barangays.
La Trinidad will shorten the operation of establishments providing construction materials, electrical supplies, and auto supplies to three days a week with business hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For restaurants, only 30 percent operating capacity for dine-in services will be allowed.
The number coding is still in effect.
Benguet recorded 28 Covid cases in June, prompting the national Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases to recommend to President Rodrigo Duterte to put the province and 11 other areas under GCQ. – Ofelia C. Empian
July 27, 2024