(FILE) Swab testing in Bacolod City. PHOTO BY CARLA GOMEZ
BACOLOD CITY – Policemen in this city have apprehended at least 19,408 COVID-19 health protocol violators from January 1 to May 31.
P/Lt. Col. Lester Leada, head of the Operations Management Unit of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), said 6,536 were caught not wearing any face masks, 4,726 for not putting on face shields while riding in public utility vehicles, and 4,644 for violating the curfew ordinance.
At least 1,799 individuals were also apprehended for violating the liquor ban, and 1,703 for failure to comply with the one-meter physical distancing requirement.
Leada said the violators were not taken into custody but were given citation tickets and were warned.
“We could not take the violators into our custody since our detention facilities are already full,” he said.
Bacolodnons caught violating the health protocols are mandated to pay a fine of P200 each while those from outside the city have to pay P300 based on the city ordinance.
Authorities will also file complaints against persons who have tested positive for COVID-19 but refused to be taken to quarantine facilities.
Executive Assistant Ernesto Pineda, head of the Extraction Cluster of the Bacolod City Emergency Operations Center-Task Force (EOC-TF), said that on Friday, June 4, a 24-year-old female resident of Barangay (village) Cabug and two close contacts tested positive for COVID-19 but refused to be taken to a quarantine facility.
Non-cooperation is a violation of section 9 of the Republic Act 11332 otherwise known as the Law on Reporting of Communicable Diseases.
“Those refusing extraction and instead opt to stay at home will cause further harm by exposing their household members to the virus and spreading it to more people,” Pineda said.