Cebu City to enforce vehicle coding scheme to prevent spread of COVID-19

CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines – The Cebu City government will implement a number coding scheme to regulate the number of vehicles plying its roads.

In an executive order, Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said: “There has been a sudden increase in the number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in Cebu City and there is an urgent need to limit and/or regulate vehicles during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) as a way to prevent the further transmission of COVID-19.”

His order will take effect starting 12:01 a.m. on, Monday, April 20.

Vehicles with license plates that end in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 may go out on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Those with license plates ending in 2, 4, 6, 8, 0 can travel on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

On Sundays, no vehicles are allowed on the streets of the city.

Labella said barangay officials would be primarily responsible for the strict enforcement of his order.

“The Cebu City Transportation Office with the assistance of the Cebu City Police Office and other law enforcement offices, as the case may be, are likewise mandated to strictly enforce this order and in consequence thereto, apprehend, imposed fine and/or file appropriate charges, complaints or cases against any violators pursuant to existing laws, ordinances, or rules,” he said.

Exempted from the number coding scheme include the following: ambulances; fire trucks; police cars; military vehicles or other law enforcement owned and registered vehicles/motorcycles; those hired by the city government for free public transportation, relief operations, delivery of good; diplomatic vehicles; and those carrying person/s needing immediate medical attention.

Also exempted are vehicles owned/operated by medical practitioners, hospital staff, nurses, health volunteers, emergency personnel, all authorized national and local government officials and employees, drivers and personnel of delivery vehicles, construction workers, accredited media personnel, as well as farmers, fishermen, and agriculture business personnel.

As of Saturday, Cebu City has recorded 163 cases of COVID-19, most of which are in Sitio Zapatera in Barangay Luz. Five of the patients have died.

/atm