Cadiz City residents and their loved ones will have to spend the holidays only at family-level gatherings as the local government has restricted the holding of Christmas and New Year’s Day parties, organized by both the public and private sectors, including birthdays and other large celebrations to control the further spread of coronavirus disease 2019.
Face-to-face Christmas caroling is also prohibited.
Mayor Salvador Escalante, Jr. signed Executive Order No. SGE-046-2020 early this week that also ordered the temporary closure of parks and playgrounds and put a limit to only 50 percent capacity for religious activities to ensure strict adherence to health and safety protocols, and social distancing.
Escalante, citing Section 1.a of the executive order, said mass gatherings are still restricted during the Modified General Community Quarantine except for meetings held by the local Inter-Agency Task Force and other government agencies tasked with the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, including those involved with health, relief, recovery and rehabilitation efforts in Cadiz City.
The same EO mandated those attending religious gatherings to wear protective face masks and face shields, adding that the LGU reserves the right to intervene if the events are found to be in serious breach or when they disregard the prescribed health and safety protocols.
“The continued restriction shall include private mass gatherings for Christmas parties, birthdays and other celebrations. With the forthcoming Christmas and New Year, it is highly encouraged that only family members of the same household shall celebrate this time-honored Filipino tradition,” Escalante pointed out.
Section 2 of the EO also allowed business and service sectors to operate but only at 50 percent of their customers at any given time under the MGCQ as provided for under the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine and Resolution No. 70 of the national IATF.
The Cadiz City Park and the Children’s Playground shall be off limits to the public. It shall remain close until further notice, Section 3 of the EO said.
Tasked to install barriers and fences around parks and playgrounds is the City Engineer’s Office, while the Civil Security Unit of the LGU is mandated to deploy staff to secure the area.
Escalante said the EO shall be subject to review or revision as the need arises, depending on the developments of the city government’s campaign against COVID-19 and future issuances of the national IAT. – ETL
