セブ島では、GCQという２番目に緩いロックダウン規制の中で、ジョギングやハイキングなどのレジャー活動が許可されています。
しかし、政府はセブ在住の住人に対して、レジャー活動中にフェイスマスクを着用しているかを厳しく観察しているようで、プロトコルに違反している人が多いと述べています。
日本と同様、マスク着用に対する反対意見や政府の規制に対する意見がぶつかっています。
9/20時点で、政府が示す感染予防に関するプロトコルを巡る訴訟が2,570ほどあるとのことです。
“Cebu City Police note number of cyclists violating health protocols in Busay”
Leisure activities like jogging, biking and hiking or walking are already allowed in Cebu City under the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) status.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The deputy director of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) said that they will be strictly monitoring areas in barangay Busay as they noted that there are a number of cyclists plying this route who violate health protocols set by the city.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations of CCPO, said that during their previous operations and checkpoints in Busay, they have observed that most of the cyclists who travel through this hilly route do not wear facemasks and violate social distancing protocols, especially when taking a break in one of many bike stops in the area.
He noticed that in downtown areas and at the South Road Properties, where they also conduct checkpoints and monitoring, most of the cyclists comply with health protocols. He also noted that leisure bikers are usually the ones caught not wearing face masks while bikers who use their bicycles for work do.
(Why do these ordinary people, those who use their bikes from the house going to their respective workplace, wear facemasks? And these leisure bikers do not wear facemasks? What is the difference between those using their bikes for work and those using bikes for leisure?)
Parilla clarified that he is not against leisure biking as he is also a biker. He also said that the majority of the bikers in the city do follow the protocols implemented and that there are just a few who choose to disregard them.
Parilla emphasized that regardless if a person is a leisure biker or not, one must be responsible in their actions, especially in following the health protocols implemented in the city as it continues to fight against the increase of new cases.
He said strict implementation is crucial since the threat of the virus is still here. As COVID-19 cases in the city lowers, Parilla hopes that they will maintain this downtrend and one way they can help is by strictly implementing health protocols.
As of September 20, data from the Department of Health in Central Visayas shows that there are 2,570 active cases in the city.
Cyclists who will be caught violating health protocols will be issued citation tickets, which will cost them P500.
Those caught without IDs will be brought to a holding facility, where they will be made to pay the penalty or render community service.
A total of 16 cyclists were issued citation tickets last Saturday, September 18.