Baguio City is prepared for the stricter protocols under the general community quarantine status which is being re-imposed in the Cordillera starting Feb. 1 to 28 due to the presence of cases of B117 or UK variant of the Covid-19.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the city started to tighten some of its policies weeks ahead of the discovery of the UK variant cases in the region.
“Around two or three weeks ago, we began to re-impose stricter measures that are almost at the GCQ level after we saw the increasing trend in our cases through the mobility analysis that we have been doing. So not much changes are expected,” he said.
Last Jan. 14, the mayor directed the Baguio City Police Office and the Public Order and Safety Division and the city’s 129 punong barangays “to intensify actions to ensure that the public is compliant with minimum public health standards” particularly the wearing of face masks and shields and observance of physical distancing.
Last Jan. 18, he ordered the return of the stay-at-home restriction for children below 15 years old and reminded that other vulnerable sectors like senior citizens over the age of 65, pregnant women and those with underlying health conditions and comorbidities are still covered by prohibitions under Executive Order 159 s. 2020 which mandates them to stay in their residences at all times except for essential purposes like accessing food and basic necessities, necessary errands, medical emergencies, work and permitted activities.
Among the changes that will be imposed are the stricter border control between the city and its neighboring towns for which an agreement was forged among the mayors and the reduction of the allowed number for mass gathering including religious services from the present 50 percent to 30 percent. – Aileen P. Refuerzo
April 19, 2024
