Gov. Arthur Yap said he will issue an executive order (EO) anytime today, Sept. 7, 2021 that will place Bohol under general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions.
He mentioned this during an exclusive radio interview over Newsmakers ug Uban Pa on Sept. 7, 2021, hosted by Ardy Araneta-Batoy & Dave Albarado.
He said the EO takes effect immediately until the end of the month.
Yap said he already asked the national Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) to escalate Bohol’s quarantine status from modified GCQ to GCQ.
However, the IATF meets on Mondays thus, it cannot take action yet on the request of the governor.
The governor asked clearance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the governor was told that it is fine to proceed and place Bohol under GCQ.
The main reasons for the placement of Bohol under GCQ are the surging number of Coronavirus disease (Covid) cases and the high utilization of healthcare facilities.
As of 3 pm, Bohol has a total of 1,882 active Covid cases and a death toll of 325.
The governor said the GCQ is meant to restrict the movement of people, which may prevent virus transmission.
He hinted that persons under 18 years old and over 65 years old will be subjected to 24-hour curfew and will be given 3 days to break their curfew, just like before.
The governor said only essential businesses will be allowed to operate under specific hours of operation.
Dining in restaurants and religious gatherings will be limited to 30% of the venue capacity, according to reports.
Moreover, Yap said that a 4-day work week will be allowed but will not be forced on enterprises in the duration of the GCQ.
The governor said that sporting events and non-essential activities will be disallowed during GCQ.