By Armando Fenequito Jr.
DAVAO CITY -- The Davao del Norte local government will be distributing electronic contact tracing cards to persons entering the province as part of its public health standards and protocol to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) even under the modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).
Governor Edwin Jubahib (center)
(One DavaoNor Network / MANILA BULLETIN)
The protocol was included an executive order (EO) signed by Governor Edwin Jubahib, which mandates placing all cities and municipalities in Davao del Norte under MGCQ.
It said the checkpoints along the boundaries of the province will continue to operate for the monitoring of African swine fever (ASF), usual security checks, and for the issuance or scanning of electronic contact tracing card for travellers going inside their area of responsibility.
The EO stated that, upon disembarking at the public transport terminal, all passengers of any public transport shall be directed to go designated booths where they shall fill out a contact tracing form in exchange for an electronic contact tracing card.
It said passengers of private vehicles will be required to fill out the contact tracing form at the boundary checkpoint, and will also be issued electronic contact tracing cards before they are allowed entry;
“Only one electronic contact tracing card is assigned to a person,” the EO said
The EO said the electronic contact tracing card will be non-transferrable, which means it cannot be used by another person.
“There is no need to fill out a contact tracing form if the person has already been issued an electronic contact tracing card,” the order said.
It stated that, in case the electronic contact tracing card, is lost, the person needs to fill out the contact tracing form again to be able to obtain a new one.
The order said movement of person across areas placed under GCQ or MGCQ for any purpose except for leisure will be now allowed in the province.
Meanwhile, public transportation shall be allowed to operate during MGCQ, provided, that it will only carry half or 50 percent of its allowed seating capacity.
It said there must be a minimum public health standards to be observed, such as not allowing passengers to ride without face masks; temperature scanning before passengers are allowed to ride the vehicle, and re-disinfecting the interior of the vehicle after all passengers have settled;
It also said that drop-off of passengers shall be from terminal to terminal only and buses are not allowed to load and unload passengers along the highway or while on transit going to the next public transport terminal.
“No buses shall be allowed to operate during Saturdays and Sundays,” the EO said
The order said all bus operators are mandated to prepare passenger manifest per trip which shall be surrendered upon arrival at the public transport terminal.
“The information reflected in this manifest shall include the following: name of bus company, travel date, place of destination, full name of driver and conductor, plate and body number, full name of passengers and their contact number and addresses,” the order said.
It said, the operators shall strictly observe the provision of hand sanitizer, regular disinfection of the bus, and other precautions as strictly provided under Item No. 6 of Memorandum Circular 2020-017 of Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
“Any violation to the foregoing provisions shall be penalized under the existing laws, rules and regulations without prejudice to an administrative sanction by the LTFRB for revocation or suspension of their franchise as the case may be,” the order said.
The private transportation shall be allowed to travel subject to the guidelines provided by the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
On the other hand, checkpoints in the barangay entry points will still operate for the purpose of identifying the persons entering the community who came from places with active COVID-19 cases.