By Jennifer P. Rendon
Aklan doesn’t want to take any chances.
While the province is still coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-free, Governor Florencio Miraflores on March 22, 2020 signed Executive Order No. 020 or “An Order Placing the Entire Province of Aklan Under Enhanced Community Quarantine to Protect the People Against the 2019 Coronal Virus Disease (COVID-19).
The order took effect 12:01 a.m. today, March 23 until April 14 at 11:59 p.m. unless extended or shortened upon recommendation by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID), Department of Health, or Provincial Health Office (PHO).
The order means closure of all public and private offices, business, and commercial establishments.
Exempted from the closure order are:
-Public markets;
-Supermarkets and convenience stores;
-Hospitals, medical clinics, medical facilities, diagnostics centers, laboratories;
-Water-refilling stations;
-Banks and financial institutions, including pawn shops, money transfer services, lending agencies, payment and remittance centers;
-Public utilities, including power, energy, water, and telecommunications;
-Public and private transportation;
-Gasoline stations, including stores selling LPG;
-Funeral services;
-Restaurants, fast food chains, and other food establishments (take-out or delivery only);
-Media establishments;
-Shipping and cargo handling companies and services;
-Agricultural supply stores;
-Food manufacturing and food processing places and facilities; and
-Other government offices that may be allowed by the Provincial Government of Aklan.
Miraflores stressed that vendors and customers/buyers at public markets are required to wear masks with face shields.
Market hours will run from 5 am. to 5 p.m. with local government units implementing the “one entry-one exit”’ policy.
If feasible, stalls selling non-essential foods and commodities, such as but not limited to, non-food products, dry goods, plastic wares, flowers and the like, shall remain closed.
On transportation, the order states that motorcycles should have no backrider while tricycles should only have two passengers and multi-cab with 5 passengers.
Jeepneys, on the other hand, are allowed up to 10 passengers, vans with 7 passengers, and local mini-buses with 15 passengers,
Private cars should only have 3 passengers at most.
Miraflores highlighted social distancing, or a distance of at least one meter from each other, in the order.
“Transit to and from the above establishments shall be allowed that social distancing measures shall be observed,” the order stated.
The EO also ordered the reduction of personnel and rationalization of work hosts and/or implementation of work-from-home arrangements.
Miraflores also reminded “open” establishments to observe guidelines on Anti-Hoarding and Anti-Panic Buying that sets reasonable limits in the sale of basic necessities.
Establishments such as supermarkets and the likes, water refilling stations, media establishments, gasoline stations, restaurants and similar establishments, and burial services will be allowed to open until 7 p.m. only.
Establishments that can operate beyond 7 p.m. are hospitals and similar establishments, shipping and cargo handling commodities, power utilities and pharmacies.
Miraflores said establishments violating the order will be penalized.
CURFEW HOURS
A curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. will also be imposed in the entire province during the lockdown.
No personal shall be allowed to go outside the immediate vicinity of his of his/her residence, except in cases of extreme emergency or for the sole and exclusive purpose of purchasing medicines.
A 24-hour curfew or home quarantine will also be imposed on persons who are at risk of being infected – persons 60 years old and above, those who are immunocompromised or with co-morbidities, pregnant women, and minors (except health workers, authorized government officials, those traveling for medical or humanitarian reasons, persons providing basic services and public utilities, and essential skeletal workforce).
Exempted from the curfew are:
-Those providing medical services;
-Those personal in the funeral service industry;
-Emergency responders;
-Security services;
-Delivery personnel;
-Shipping and cargo handling, including employees and officers of the Philippine Ports Authority;
-Persons delivering agricultural products;
-Persons delivering ice for fish, meat, and other food products.
A home quarantine pass will be issued by the punong barangays while employees working in private or public offices enumerated above should present proof of employment.
Selling, dispensing,, and transporting of liquor or alcoholic beverages, or any alcoholic drink during the lockdown is also prohibited.
