DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 22 Dec) – To help the business community recover from the onslaught of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic next year, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte assured that the local government of Davao will avoid constantly changing the implementation of health protocols to avoid confusion and disruption of the economy.
During her live interview over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR 87.5) on Monday, she assured local businesses that the enforcement of health regulations will be more stable as changing them arbitrarily could be “disastrous to the businesses.”
Duterte maintained that a city-wide lockdown will be a last-ditch effort to contain the outbreak.
She said the city does not want to keep the city open only to close later on, to stem the spread of the infection.
“We want to make it stable in a way that protocols are consistent, so that people will not get confused. We want to assure businesses, offices, and establishments that the lockdown will be used only when it is necessary,” the mayor said.
The city reverted to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) from Modified GCQ last November 20 to 30, and has been extended until the end of this year.
To restrict non-essential movements of the locals, the mayor reimposed the 24/7 liquor ban and curfew from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. last October 15. Effective November 20, curfew was revised, from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., while Roxas Night Market was temporarily closed.
Food and medicine pass was restored on November 17, with a subsequent passage of an ordinance at the City Council of Davao last December 15, which sets guidelines of its implementation and prescribes penalties against violators.
As of December 21, Department of Health-Davao reported a total of 11,592 COVID-19 cases in the region, with 1,915 active, 9,219 recoveries, and 458 deaths.
Of the total cases, Davao City reported 8,159, Davao de Oro with 575, Davao del Norte with 1,391, Davao del Sur with 832, Davao Occidental with 122, and Davao Oriental with 513. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)