2 Negros Oriental areas bar non-residents from fiesta celebrations due to COVID-19

DUMAGUETE CITY –– Two localities in Negros Oriental have barred non-residents from attending their fiesta celebrations on Thursday, September 10, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The northern city of Bais and the southern of Dauin are both commemorating the feast of their patron, St. Nicholas of Tolentino.

However, both localities have laid out strict quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease, including the non-entry of visitors from other cities and towns in the province.

In Bais City, non-residents attempting to enter to attend the fiesta celebration will be slapped with a fine of P500.

Hefty fines ranging from P200 to P15,000 also await Bais City residents who will violate community quarantine protocols, under its ordinance no. 24 enacted earlier this year.

Among those prohibited during the fiesta celebration are mass gatherings, motorcycle drivers having more than one pillion rider, the operating of videoke and sing-along machines, and ambulant vendors and peddlers operating around the city plaza.

Violators who fail to pay the imposed fines will be required to perform community service from five to 30 days depending on the gravity of the violation, the Bais City government said.

As of September 9, the city has two active COVID-19 cases. Both cases are locally stranded individuals from Metro Manila who were repatriated late August. They are now under quarantine at the city’s government isolation facility.

In Dauin town, the municipal Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) approved a resolution that mandates its residents to hold thanksgiving activities only within their homes. Guests are not allowed.

From Monday, September 7, to Saturday, September 11, non-residents of Dauin are not allowed to enter the town, especially if their purpose is to visit friends or relatives for the fiesta.

The Dauin local government also imposed a week-long liquor ban in connection with the town’s fiesta celebration. Under the ban, the drinking of alcoholic beverages is not allowed in public places while local business establishments are prohibited from selling alcohol.

LZB