Bohol implements 9 AM-5 AM curfew

TAGBILARAN CITY, March 19, (PIA)—In a bid to break the life cycle of the virus causing the dreaded corona disease, Governor Arthur Yap has ordered a province-wide curfew, which is intended to deprive the virus of a human host by limiting or avoiding exposure and contact between persons.

Through Executive Order No.13, which the governor issued March 17, 2020, Boholanos and establishments all over the province are placed under curfew from 9:00 PM to 5 AM.

The order however exempts pharmacies and drugstores, employees and workers of telecommunications, electricity and water utilities doing maintenance and emergency repair work.

Also exempted from the curfew are medical personnel and other similarly tasked responders who are on duty at the time of curfew, the travel of uniformed personnel on official business especially those transporting medical supplies, laboratory specimen related to the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19), other humanitarian assistance and for those responding to life threatening emergency situations.

The governor’s order said no person shall be allowed in the streets, commercial establishments, recreation centers, malls and any other areas outside the immediate vicinity of their residence during the duration of the curfew.

By doing this, the governor hopes to further strengthen and enhance the strict home quarantine as observed in all households, encourage work-from-home arrangements, restrict sea, air and land travel and impose existing international travel restrictions.

It may be recalled that through Executive Order Number 8 issued March 14, the governor has placed an entry travel ban to Bohol from March 15 to March 20 which puts the whole of Bohol in a community quarantine in a way to address the spreading threat of COVID-19 in the island province.    

Other executive orders, numbered 9 and 10 suspended classes in all levels of public and private institutions, cockfighting and all forms of events where people congregate as well as putting a mandatory self-quarantine to returning Boholanos from March 12-15, as Bohol has yet successfully insulated itself from the dreaded virus.

  

With school classes suspended and some workers opting to adopt flexible working arrangements, the governor noted several children and adults still loitering and gathering at public parks, internet cafes and similar establishments where people can congregate, these even extending until the wee hours of day.

As these practices heighten the exposition and human contact which helps the virus continue its life cycle and spread to other communities, the curfew is the government’s solution.

In the order, the governor argues that while the virus is transmitted through respiratory droplets carried when an infected person coughs and sneezes, depriving the virus of a human host for the disease-causing-pathogen to survive and multiply.

Without human host to allow the virus to live, it will die, that the governor sees the need to break the cycle of infection by depriving the virus of a host.

With the order, the government also empowers punong barangays and members of the barangay council as well as barangay peace keeping officers to implement the provisions of the executive order.

The same mandates the police to provide support whenever this is needed to enforce the order. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)