STATUS QUO. Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III (left) tells Gov. Arthur Yap (right) and the Bohol mayors that as of the moment, the entry protocol stays despite the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) resolution. Densing visited Bohol on July 7, 2021 to give updates about the IATF resolution and to updated about the Coronavirus disease situation in Bohol. Photo courtesy of PRIMER
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Usec. Epimaco Densing III bared on Wednesday, July 7, 2021, that local government units (LGU) such as Bohol can still impose travel requirements like the 72-hour negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result for now.
Densing made the statement during the Bohol mayors’ meeting held at the Ceremonial Hall, Bohol Provincial Capitol Building on the said day, July 7, 2021.
The report coming from the Provincial Information and Media Relations (PRIMER) says that LGUs may still impose entry requirements until the DILG comes with a set of guidelines for the implementation of national Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) Resolution 124-B.
The said resolution allows fully vaccinated persons to travel without the need of presenting any requirements other than the vaccination cards issued by the different LGUs.
COVID SITUATION IN BOHOL
Densing met with the mayors of Bohol to discuss the Coronavirus disease (Covid) infection situation in the province.
During the said meeting, Niel John Oclarit of Department of Health (DOH) Bohol presented the data and statistics relative to the Covid problem in Bohol.
Oclarit said that hospital bed capacity and occupancy for Level 3 hospitals remain to be at a “critical level”.
However, the 2-week growth rate for Bohol significantly dropped to -17% from a high 32%, Oclarit added.
Subsequently, the Average Daily Attack Rate (ADAR) for the entire province dropped to 6, from 8.2 recordedlast week, Oclarit mentioned in his report.
This means 6 out of 100, 000 persons can be infected with the virus.
In his message to the mayors, Densing informed those who were in attendance that Bohol became a province of concern in the last two weeks due to the sudden spike of cases.
However, he added that the constant communication among the leaders of the province can be the game-changer in the next two weeks.
He stressed about the importance of open communication between the governor and the mayors as this is vital in reaching a decision regarding matters pertaiming Covid containment in order to prevent the further spread of the virus.
Densing said during the meeting: “Gov. Yap has been in contact communication with the DILG through Sec. Eduardo Año and I with regard to any development in your province especially in terms of containment strategy of your [Covid] infection in the province. He also sought support in your vaccination program through constant follow-ups made through the Office of the Secretary. However, your Governor is only one man. He cannot and will not be able to address the problem without the support of the mayors.”
Densing added, “In Bohol, your cooperation has been the key in keeping your infection rates relatively low for the past several months of the pandemic. Bohol has always been a model worthy of emulation for other LGUs. This cooperation and unity will also be a vital factor in recovering from the sudden surge of your cases.”
GOV. YAP RE-IMPOSES UNIFORM PROVINCE-WIDE CURFEW
In a related development, the governor issued the latest executive order imposing uniform curfew hours in the province from 10 pm to 4 am the next day.
During the meeting, Board Member Romulo Cepedoza, the president of the Liga ng mga Barangay (LnB) Bohol Chapter presented the group’s resolution asking the governor to re-impose a uniform province-wide curfew.
The uniform curfew is meant to curb the rising number of Covid cases in the province, the PRIMER in its report bares.
During the meeting, Gov. Arthur Yap asked the mayors for their comments and suggestions regarding the resolution from the LnB.
All of the mayors concurred with the re-imposition of the uniform curfew hours in the entire province. It was cited that having uniform curfew hours will prevent confusion among the public.
The governor stressed that the re-imposition of curfew will only be for the next couple of weeks as a measure to bring down the number of Covid cases here.
LATEST CURFEW E.O.
On July 8, 2021, Yap signed Executive Order (EO) No. 34 which reinstated the imposition of the uniform curfew hours in the provinceas one of the measures to address the recent surge of Covid cases here.Full text of the EO is printed on page 10 of this paper.
The new EO will take effect on 12 midnight of July 12, 2021, the PRIMER report reveals.
The uniform province-wide curfew hours in Bohol will be from 10 pm to 4 am, the next day, the said executive order bared.