New E.O. outlines what is allowed, not allowed under GCQ

BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia issues Executive Order 35 as the city is placed under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) from 1 to 31 July 2021 as recommended by the National Inter-Agency Task Force.

The recommendation for stricter measures after the city’s CoViD cases continue to escalate.

Salient points of the Executive Order include the following:

Home quarantine for Persons with Vulnerabilities

Persons below 18-years-old, those who are over 65, those with immunodeficiencies, comorbidities, or other health risks, and pregnant women are required to remain in their residences at all times, except for obtaining essential goods and services, or for work in industries and offices or such other activities permitted by the national and local governments.

Establishments, activities permitted to operate

The following businesses shall be allowed to operate at the following on-site working capacities, to wit:

• With full on-site capacity: public and private hospitals; health, emergency, and frontline services, including those provided by dialysis centers, chemotherapy centers, HMOs, health insurance providers, disaster risk; reduction management officers, and public safety officers, and the like; manufacturers of medicines and vitamins, medical supplies, devices, and equipment, including suppliers of input, packaging, and distribution; industries involved in agriculture (crops, fruits, vegetables, livestock, and poultry), forestry, fishery, and such other components of the food value chain and their workers, including farmers and fisherfolks;
• logistics service providers (delivery and courier services; cargo handling; warehousing; trucking; freight forwarding; shipping, port and terminal operators);
• essential and priority construction projects, whether public or private, and small-scale construction projects such as those for housing or residential, in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH);
• manufacturing related to food and other essential goods such as but not limited to soap and detergents, diapers, personal hygiene products, toilet paper, and wet wipes, and disinfectants;
• companies that manufacture, distribute, and/or supply equipment or products necessary to perform construction or maintenance works, such as cement and steel, or spare parts;
• essential retail trade and service establishments such as public markets, supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, pharmacies or drug stores, hardware, office supplies, bicycle shops, laundry shops, and water- refilling stations;
• public and private financial service providers involved in the distribution of government grants and amelioration subsidies;
• business process outsourcing establishments (BPOs), and export-oriented businesses, including mining and quarrying activities;
• public transport providers and operators subject to Department of Transportation guidelines;
• media establishments and their total permanent staff complement, inclusive of reporters and other field employees;
• dental, rehabilitation, optometry, and other medical clinics for the treatment of illness or injuries. Provided, that there is strict observance of infection prevention and control protocols. Provided, further, that dental procedures shall be limited to emergency cases only and that the wearing of full Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) by dentists and attendants shall be mandatory. Provided, finally, that home service therapy for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) shall be allowed;
• veterinary clinics; banks, money transfer services, including pawnshops only insofar as performing money transfer functions, microfinance institutions, and credit cooperatives, including their armored vehicle services, if any;
• capital markets, including but not limited to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Securities and Exchange Commission, Philippine Stock Exchange, Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corporation, Philippine Securities Settlement Corporation, and Philippine Depository and Trust Corporation;
• water supply and janitorial/sanitation services and facilities, including waste disposal services, as well as property management and building utility services;
• the energy sector (oil, gas, and power companies), their third-party contractors and service providers, including employees involved in electric transmission and distribution, electric power plant and line maintenance, electricity market and retail suppliers, as well as those involved in the exploration, operations, trading and delivery of coal, oil, crude or petroleum and by-products (gasoline, diesel, liquefied petroleum gas, jet oil, kerosene, lubricants), including gasoline stations, refineries, and depots or any kind of fuel used to produce electricity;
• telecommunications companies, internet service providers, cable television providers, including those who perform indirect services such as the technical, sales, and other support personnel, as well as the employees of their third-party contractors doing sales, installation, maintenance, and repair works;
• Airline and aircraft maintenance, pilots and crew, and employees of aviation schools for purposes of the pilot’s recurrent training for flight proficiency and type rating using simulator facilities; and ship captains and crew, including shipyard operations and repair;
• funeral and embalming services;
• security personnel licensed by the PNP – Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies;
• printing establishments authorized by the Bureau of Internal Revenue and other government agencies to print accountable forms and other security documents;
• establishments engaged in repair and maintenance of machinery and equipment, for households and essential permitted establishments;
• establishments engaged in repair and maintenance of motorized and non-motorized vehicles, including the sale of spare parts;
• leasing of real and personal properties;
• employment activities that involve the recruitment and placement for permitted sectors;
• teachers, professors and other staff for purposes of conducting online/offline, and flexible classes, completion of grades, and processing of student credentials, requirements and documents;
• lawyers who will provide legal representation necessary to protect rights of persons as well as legal services for permitted establishments, and law firms;
• payroll managers and such other employees required for the processing of payroll, and accounting firms;
• all other establishments necessary for the buying and selling of consumer goods or services via the internet.
• Other businesses in the above list may be allowed to operate at on-site working capacities from 50 percent 100 percent workforce while also being encouraged to adopt work-from-home and other flexible work arrangements.
• These are food preparation establishments such as kiosks, commissaries, restaurants, fast food and retail food establishments/eateries including those in supermarkets, grocery stores: 100% for take-out and delivery; with maximum 30% of venue capacity for indoor/outdoor dine-in services;
• barber shops, salons, and other personal care service establishments with maximum 30% of venue capacity;
• testing and tutorial centers: Maximum 75% of venue capacity;
• review centers (only for health-related professions, i.e. physicians): Maximum 75% of venue capacity;
• language, dance, acting, voice schools: Maximum 50% of venue capacity;
• indoor non-contact sports courts or venues, fitness studios, gyms, spas or other indoor leisure centers or facilities, and swimming pools: Maximum 50% of venue capacity;
• indoor visitor or tourist attractions, libraries, archives, museums, galleries, and cultural shows and exhibits: Maximum 50% of venue capacity;
• Outdoor tourist attractions: Maximum 50% of venue capacity;
• Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) events shall be limited to essential business gatherings only at thirty percent (30%) seating/venue capacity, while video conference is, however, preferably advised for such conduct of meetings/conferences;
• Limited social events at accredited establishments of the DOT (subject to DOT/DTI guidelines): Maximum 30% of venue capacity;
• Travel agencies, tour operators, reservation service and related activities: Maximum of 75% of on-site working capacity/venue capacity;
• Pet grooming services: Maximum of 75% of on-site working capacity/venue capacity;
• Only hotels or accommodation establishments with valid DOT Accreditation shall be allowed to accommodate guests and clients for legitimate purposes under such capacity and protocols for a state of a public health emergency that the DOT shall prescribe.

Businesses not allowed to operate under GCQ

• Entertainment venues with live performers such as karaoke bars, bars, clubs, concert halls, theaters, and cinemas;
• Recreational venues such as internet cafes, billiard halls, amusement arcades, bowling alleys, and similar venues;
• Amusement parks or theme parks, fairs/peryas, kid amusement industries such as playgrounds, playroom, and kiddie rides;
• Casinos, horse racing, lottery and betting shops, and other gaming establishments, except as may be authorized by the IATF or the Office of the President for the purpose of raising revenue for the government;
• Traditional cockfighting and operation of cockpits, and
• Outdoor/indoor sports courts or venues for contact sports, scrimmages, games, or activities.

Mass and religious gatherings

• Church/religious gatherings for holy mass/prayers/worship services/similar activities, shall be at a maximum of 30 percent of the venue capacity.

Other prohibited or restricted gatherings

• Gatherings outside of residences shall be prohibited except for those essential for the provision of health services, government services, or humanitarian activities authorized by the appropriate government agency or instrumentality;
• Gathering at residences with any person outside of one’s immediate household shall likewise be prohibited;
• Gatherings for necrological services, wakes, inurnment, and funerals for those who died of causes other than COVID-19 shall be allowed up to thirty percent (30%) of the venue capacity;
• Visits to memorial parks, cemeteries, and columbaria shall be limited to not more than ten (10) persons per group and not exceeding thirty percent (30%) of the venue capacity.
• 12-hour business operations encouraged
• Businesses in the essential goods and services sectors as well as those engaged in providing prime commodities such as supermarkets, public and private wet markets, grocery stores, agri-fishery supply stores, veterinary supply stores, pharmacies, drug stores and other retail establishments under similar business engagements are strongly encouraged to extend their daily store operations to a maximum of 12 hours convenient to both the customers and the proprietors.

The policies on minimum health protocols, curfew, partial liquor ban, and other measures for public health and safety embodied in this Executive Order shall remain imposable at all times.

Government offices

• Offices of the Bacolod City Government shall operate at a minimum of fifty percent (50%) to one hundred percent (100%) of its on-site capacity, in accordance with relevant rules and regulations issued by the Civil Service Commission.
• Other public offices operating within the City may establish their own on-site work capacity as determined by its head of office/agency/commission/court/legislative body, etc.

Academics/education sectors/schools concerns

Face-to-face or in-person classes for basic education shall be suspended.
The basic education sector shall operate in accordance with the guidelines of the DepEd. Limited face-to-face or in-person classes for higher education and technical vocational education and training may be allowed, subject to the guidelines of CHED and TESDA, respectively.

Uniform travel protocols

Uniform travel protocols by way of land, air, and sea travel/s shall be observed and enforced.

Upon arrival, all passengers bound for Bacolod City must present the following documents at the Bacolod Travel Protocol Desk at the Bacolod-Silay Airport or at any of the seaports of the City for travelers coming from areas outside of Region 6:

• a negative RT-PCR test result which must have been obtained within 72 hours prior to and upon arrival in Bacolod City for its validity except for national government agency-APORS who shall be exempted from this requirement; online BaCTrac registration; Online Health Declaration; SPass; Travel Coordination Permit; and valid personal ID.
• Transportation from the Bacolod-Silay Airport to an unloading point in Bacolod City shall be provided by the Bacolod LGU.
• All the travel protocols shall remain in full force and effect for the control and regulation of health standards and safety unless otherwise further revised/modified/repealed by the National IATF and its related agencies.

Curfew hours

Daily curfew hours shall continue to be observed from 10:00 P.M. to 4:00 A.M.

Exemptions shall be made for workers on night shifts, media practitioners, public emergencies like fire/ambulance services/other occasions caused by disaster/calamity, and those requiring medical assistance on board PUVs or private vehicles. Curfew hours may be adjusted at any time within the duration of the GCQ through the exercise by the City Mayor of the emergency powers granted under pertinent City Ordinance/s or any applicable laws.

Reiteration of policy on liquor ban

For the period of this GCQ, the rules and regulations in the selling of liquor, wine, beer or any alcoholic or intoxicating beverage in public places shall continue to be allowed only from 12:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.. However, the selling and/or consumption of such alcoholic beverages in authorized public places shall continue to be totally banned and prohibited in accordance with Executive Order No. 31, Series of 2021, dated June 6,