Cebu City goes on hard lockdown: All quarantine passes cancelled

CEBU CITY—Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella has cancelled all quarantine passes issued to at least 250,000 city residents starting 10 p.m. on June 23.

Brig. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro, Central Visayas police chief, was ordered to enforce Labella’s directive to stop the rise in COVID-19 cases in the city, which is now considered as a coronavirus hot spot.

“We noticed that a lot of people are on the streets even if the city is under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ),” said Ferro in an interview on June 23.

“So the mayor ordered to cancel all quarantine passes until further notice,” he said.

People, who have to buy food, can do so only inside their villages.

Exempted from the full lockdown are health care workers, call center agents and bank employees, said Ferro.

Ferro said there was a need for people in Cebu City to stay home to stop coronavirus transmission, which had already infected 4,479 and killed 89 persons as of June 23.

“ECQ is a form of hard lockdown so people need to stay inside their homes,” he said.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, who was appointed COVID-19 point person in Cebu City by President Rodrigo Duterte, was notified about Labella’s recent order.

TSB