Cebu under Alert Level 2

CEBU PROVINCE and several other areas in the Visayas have been placed under Alert Level 2 until March 15 or until the number of active Covid-19 cases has gone further down.

The National Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases (IATF) also said the following cities are also under Alert Level 2 – Cebu, Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue.

And the same also for Antique, Iloilo province, Iloilo City, Negros Occidental, Bohol, Eastern, Western and Northern Samar, Leyte, Ormoc City, Southern Leyte and Tacloban City.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia also issued an executive order allowing full seating capacity in public utility vehicles in Cebu province and ordered the regular disinfection of all surfaces in PUVs, especially the seats, armrests, and handles. Driver and conductors are also required to wear face masks.

To ensure compliance with health protocols, the PUVs plying in any localities are also required to secure provincial utility vehicle passes indicating the vehicle’s plate number, control number, and the permitted sitting capacity. The passes will bear Garcia’s signature and a quick response code.

The executive order also allowed PUVs to exit the North and South Bus Terminals after securing a trip ticket that reflects the date of the trip, route, permitted sitting capacity, the actual number of passengers on board, and the last disinfection. Like the passes, the trip ticket will also bear a QR code, plate number, with the addition of the dispatcher’s signature.

Alert Level 2

Aside from the Visayas area, the IATF declared Alert Level 2 in Luzon - Cordillera Administrative Region: Benguet, Ifugao and Mountain Province, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Batangas, Lucena City, Quezon province, Rizal province, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Masbate and Sorsogon.

And also in Mindanao – Isabela City, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay; Bukidnon, Iligan City, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Davao De Oro, Davao Del Sur, Davao Del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao Occidental, General Santos City, North Cotabato, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Butuan City, Dinagat Islands; and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao comprising Basilan, Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Cotabato City and Lanao Del Sur.

Alert Level 2 refers to areas wherein case transmission is low and decreasing, healthcare utilization is low, or case counts are low but increasing, or case counts are low and decreasing but total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate is increasing. (Cebu Examiner)