Curfew shortened in Cagayan de Oro as virus threat eases

Mayor Oscar Moreno | Photo courtesy of Mayor Oscar S Moreno’s Facebook page

ILIGAN CITY—-Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno has shortened the curfew period in Northern Mindanao’s capital by three hours as the threat of COVID-19 has decreased.

Moreno’s order on Nov. 2 set the curfew time at 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., or five hours. It used to be 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. or eight hours.

The health department has eased the city’s COVID-19 threat classification into Alert Level 2 from Nov. 1 to 14, which would allow more businesses to reopen.

But Moreno reminded the people not to let their guard down.

“While we hope to rebuild the city’s economy, we should not waste the gains we achieved in protecting public health. People may ask if we are more confident now, and I reply that our confidence is guarded. And I hope that the people of Cagayan de Oro City will bear this in mind because the new alert system should remind us precisely to always be on alert,” he said.

“The new curfew (period) would allow market vendors and shoppers to start early. There will be more early flights and increased delivery of goods at the city’s pier area,” Moreno added.

The city has battled a five-month surge of infections starting last May, necessitating the imposition of restrictive quarantine protocols.

From over 100 new cases a day, infections dropped to less than 40 by mid-October.

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