By Warren Elijah Valdez  DAVAO CITY - A day before this City was supposed to celebrate its 83rd Araw ng Dabaw, Mayor Sara Duterte has placed the city under community quarantine Sunday. The City Mayor signed Executive Order No.10, declaring the entire city under community quarantine. “There is a need a immediately to be aggressive and proactive on the impending spread of COVID-19 in Davao City,” the EO states. With the Resolution 11 recently issued by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), it also allowed local government units (LGUs) to declare community quarantines under specific parameters. The EO states the declaration was partly due to the “limited testing kits and results that take too long to become available.” Duterte said, in an interview with the city government-run Davao City Disaster Radio 87.5 FM, that she deemed it necessary to declare community quarantine. “Earlier, while we were discussing with the doctors, there really is a challenge,” she said, pointing out that it takes several days to wait for the results of laboratory tests which still has to be sent to Metro Manila. The mayor said the city has yet to receive a test finding a patient positive of COVID-19, but she said results of the tests could take a week to be determined. The mayor said “we will no longer wait for two patients before declaring a community quarantine.” “Because under the Inter-Agency Task Force Resolution (11), it is needed that there are two positive COVID (cases) in different barangays before you declare a community quarantine city wide. We still do not have the results back (if positive) but it was indicated in the executive order our challenges in testing and the time that the result of testing comes back here in the City of Davao, " she said. “I don’t think we should wait that there has to be two who will be found positive for COVID in our city before we declare a community quarantine,” she added. She also said that the city was "a step away" from a lockdown. With the community quarantine declared in the city, the EO states that people should stay in their homes. People may only come out for work, to buy foods or medicines, to go to the hospital, or to take out garbage. “Gina-buhat na nato na karon, gina-buhat na na nato na karon, gina-remind na nato na karon sa tanan tao. (We are already doing it. We are already mandating, and we are reminding it to the public),” she said. Mass gatherings and classes from kindergarten to post graduate studies are also suspended until after the state of public health emergency is lifted. The EO also states that all religious activities are suspended. “So wala na nato gi-advise, wala na nato ni gina- ecncourage, gina- mando na nato ni na all religious activities are suspended. (We are not advising it anymore. We are no longer encouraging, we are already mandating it that all religious activities are suspended.),” Mayor Duterte said. Government works, however, will not be suspended. The mayor said City Hall will continue its operations in dispensing public services, noting that their employees from other provinces may enter Davao City. The EO stressed, that necessary screening procedures must be followed on this. Private companies must prepare and implement a flexible work plan for their employees. Duterte said this was mandated under the community quarantine declaration “in preparation for a lockdown.” “So it must be that our private companies, must be ready what will happen (to their employees) if there will be a lockdown (especially) those businesses with employees outside Davao City,” she said. “And also those businesses possible to be closed during a total and complete lockdown because they will not have businesses (by that time.) So for now, they have to prepare for a possible lockdown, " she said. The EO also requires people to procure services and buy goods online from local suppliers. “Dapat magshift na mo to online. daghan mga messengering services, naa pud mga courier nga tawagan nimo ipakuha nimo ipahatod nimo sa imoha. And then dunay mga online na mga tindahan, so kana nalang ang ilahang kinahanglan buhaton. (You must shift to online. There are many messengering services, there are also couriers that you can call to pick up (or) send (the item) to you. And there are online stores. So that is what they should do), " she said. The EO also encourages online meetings and bank transactions. Public transportation will be allowed. The city mayor has reiterated that it will be required to observe the social distancing with a minimum of one meter from each other. She said, however, this was impossible on the jeepneys, vans and buses here. “What we ask for people to do is when you ride a jeepney, a bus, a van – you wear a mask,” she added. Cargo deliveries will be allowed as long as the it will be unloaded by the workers of the area or company who will be receiving the cargo. All other activities that may be determined in the future to be applicable in community quarantine will be determined later on.