Quezon City reimposes liquor ban, closure of gyms, internet cafes
QUEZON City, the biggest in Metro Manila in terms of land area and population, is reimposing a liquor ban among other restrictions to curb the rising number of coronavirus cases. In a memorandum issued Sunday, Mayor Josefina G. Belmonte ordered limitations on top of the 10 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew that will be implemented in the entire capital region beginning Monday. “In light of the recent alarming increase in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila, the City hereby issues these Supplemental Guidelines on the implementation of General Community Quarantine. These Supplemental Guidelines shall take effect on Mar. 15, 2021 and shall be effective until Mar. 31, 2021,” the memo reads. Apart from the liquor ban, the mayor directed the temporary closure of gyms, spas and internet cafes, and the adoption of alternative work schemes for offices and other establishments. Ms. Belmonte also reminded all establishments to use the city’s QR code system to ensure proper contact tracing. The city government has also been implementing localized lockdowns in areas where there are significant clusters of cases. As of Mar. 13, the Department of Health tracker shows Quezon City has the highest number of total and active coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases at 47,767 and 4,554, respectively.
Bohol asserts jumpstarting tourism, economy does not need such events as ‘foam party’
BOHOL Governor Arthur C. Yap ordered a stop to the “Foam Party Fashion Show” scheduled at a resort last Saturday, but the municipal mayor of Panglao issued a special permit allowing the event to push through and personally went to the venue to observe compliance to health protocols. “The Provincial Government of Bohol understands the need to jumpstart the tourism economy, we are your partner on this cause but only in a proper and decent manner; let alone can we tolerate violations of the law and ordinance under any circumstance,” Mr. Yap said in his order dated Mar. 12. He also cited that the venue, Amanzara Resort, does not have accreditation from the Department of Tourism (DoT). Citing a letter from the DoT regional office, he said the resort neither has a pending application for accreditation. Amanzara Resort did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The resort has previously held a foam party where health protocols were shown to have been violated through a video that went viral on social media.
RECOVERY
Panglao Mayor Leonila Paredes Montero has defended the resort saying in a statement from the town government that “she supports activities such as these to promote the recovery of the tourism economy.” She added, however, “that lewd shows and any form of indecent exposures have no place in Panglao. That is not the direction of the marketing efforts of tourism of the Local Government Unit of Panglao.” Mr. Yap, in a post late Saturday on his own Facebook page, said, “The (Panglao) Mayor is missing the point. Amanzara does not have a fire clearance, has no business permit, and has no DoT accreditation. Why is she allowing it to operate? Is it not her duty to uphold the law? Her defiance is not in defense of Panglao tourism. She is actually endangering her municipality, the whole Boholano community, and the entire Province of Bohol, by failing to enforce the minimum health standards.” A DoT-accredited resort in Panglao, Casa Teofista, said the provincial and municipal governments “must form a united front in tackling COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) as one cannot function without the other.” It added, that “an establishment must have the necessary documents and enforce COVID-19 protocols.” — MSJ
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