The Muntinlupa City Police Station apprehended 218 individuals for violating general community quarantine (GCQ) rules on the use of face masks and face shields, and curfew in just 24 hours in the city.
According to the police, the violators were cited for infracting city ordinances on GCQ policies, curfew, and smoking in public from 5 a.m. of Sept. 27 to 5 a.m. of Sept. 28.
Of the 218 violators, 218 were nabbed for violation of GCQ such as not wearing face masks and face shields, and curfew for adults; four minors were cited for curfew violation; seven for smoking in public; and two for roaming in public half-naked.
Under GCQ violations, 66 were caught for not wearing face masks, 85 for not wearing face shields and 54 adults were apprehended for violating curfew.
The entire Metro Manila is under GCQ Alert Level 4 until Sept. 30 and the police and barangays are implementing the rules including curfew, which is from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
By area, the police substation 4 covering Brgy. Sucat, Cupang and Buli recorded the highest number of apprehended individuals with 69 followed by substation 2 (Brgy. Bayanan and Putatan) with 46, 3) substation 3 (Brgy. Alabang) with 40, substation 6 (Brgy. Poblacion) with 37, substation 1 (Brgy. Tunasan) with 24, and the police’s SWAT, explosive ordnance disposal unit and maritime unit with two.
Mayor Jaime Fresnedi had earlier issued guidelines in the implementation of the new COVID-19 Alert Levels System in Muntinlupa starting Sept. 16.
Under the guidelines, not allowed outside their residences are persons below 18 years old, persons over 65 years old and persons with immunodeficiencies, comorbidities and pregnant women, but they are allowed to go out to obtain essential goods and services, and report for work in permitted industries and offices.
People regardless of age are allowed to exercise provided this is done within the general area outside their residence and with observance of health protocols including social distancing.
The order is based on the resolution issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the new quarantine classifications.
According to the executive order and resolution, Alert Level 1 “refers to areas wherein case transmission is low and decreasing, total bed utilization rate, and intensive care unit utilization rate is low” while Alert Level 2 pertains to “areas wherein case transmission is low and decreasing, healthcare utilization is low, or case counts are low but increasing, or case counts are low and decreasing but total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate is increasing.”
Areas to be placed under Alert Level 3 are those “wherein case counts are high and/or increasing, with total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate at increasing utilization,” while those to be under Alert Level 4 are “areas wherein case counts are high and/or increasing, with total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate at high utilization.”
Alert Level 5 “refers to areas wherein case counts are alarming, with total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate at critical utilization.”
The mayor will have the sole authority to declare an area under granular lockdown, according to the executive order, and he may impose it on an entire barangay, individual house, street, block, purok or sitio, compound, subdivision, village and other gated communities.