CEBU CITY – Several measures will be enforced to stem the transmission of COVID-19 in Cebu which has been experiencing a significant increase of new infections.
Effective Aug. 16, drivers of public utility vehicles must wear air purifier necklaces on top of using facemasks and face shields.
Air purifiers can be bought for as much as P1,000. It supposedly emits negative ions to ward off air pollutants.
Public utility vehicles must also install air purifier with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters.
Those measures were the contents of Executive Orders (EO) 35 and 38 that Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia issued amid the increasing cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Last Friday, Aug. 13, the province tallied 383 cases and 35 deaths as new infections and new fatalities continued to increase.
As of Aug. 13, the province had 4,740 active case and 1,142 deaths – the most in Central Visayas. “We cannot deny that the cases have increased and so is everywhere because of the variant that is highly transmissible,” Garcia said in a recent press briefing.
On Saturday, the governor inspected the various control points in the province to ensure that minimum health standards are observed in public transportation.
Although Cebu is under General Community Quarantine, Garcia has placed 11 localities under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine due to the increasing COVID-19 cases in the areas.
Travelers entering the ports of Consolacion, Minglanilla, Argao, Samboan, Oslob, and Cordova are required to present swab test results.
Upon arriving at the ports, travelers must present negative RT-PCR result test taken within the last 72 hours travel or negative rapid anti-gen test result taken within the last 48 hours.
Minors aged below 15 will be allowed to travel provided they can present negative RT-PCR or rapid anti-gen results.