Barangays urged to require wearing of masks, distancing

PHYSICAL DISTANCING Members of the Social Security System wear masks and observe social distancing as they line up to get assistance and benefits. —NINO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — The joint task force coronavirus disease (JTF COVID) shield has urged all barangays to make mandatory physical distancing and the wearing of face masks by their constituents.

In a statement on Sunday, JTF COVID shield commander Police Lt. General Guillermo Eleazar asked village officials to come up with barangay ordinances that mirror local laws passed and enforced in cities and towns in penalizing failure to observe health protocols to stop the spread of COVID-19.

“The reality is that we continue to live under the threat of COVID-19 and experts said it will take months or even years before a vaccine is developed and made available to the public. So the most that we could do now is to take the preventive side and let us do it down to the barangay level,” Eleazar said.

He observed that there were people in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified GCQ who have grown complacent in following lockdown protocols.

“This is the part when enforcement should be beefed up in order to remind and warn people that the threat of coronavirus infection is still there, and this is where local government units play a key role, especially at the barangay level,” Eleazar said.

He explained that the police, military and other law enforcement agencies do not have enough manpower to guard the entire country, thus, the need for village watchmen to remind people to observe the minimum health safety protocols.