Although the city is now under Alert Level 2 with more relaxed movement restrictions, authorities reminded the public that violators of the minimum public health standard (MPHS) will still be arrested.
Davao City Police Office (DCPO) director Colonel Kirby John Kraft said that from July 16 to December 1, the number of violators arrested was 71,289 while there were 3,137 cases filed.
âContinuous pa rin ‘yong apprehension at issuance ng citation ticket natin sa violators ng not wearing face masks at social distancing (The apprehension of violators and issuance of citation tickets continue for individuals who are not wearing face masks and not observing social distancing),â Kraft said.
For the breakdown of arrested individuals, there were a total of 10,247 violators for curfew, Liquor Ban (223), Social Distancing/Mass Gathering (18,053), Converging (13,297), MC Protective Barrier (4,756), Face Mask (25,145), and Face Shield (17,621)
He added that their personnel have likewise issued a total of 21,884 citation tickets to individuals for failure to wear face masks.
âWe remind people that although we are already on Alert Level 2
na kung saan naging maluwag na po ang ating quarantine restrictions,
huwag po tayong mag kompiyansa dahil nandyan pa rin po ang COVID-19 (where the restrictions are less strict, let’s not be complacent because COVID-19 is still around),â he said.
It can be recalled that the city was placed under Alert Level 2 beginning November 15 until November 30 and was extended until December 15.
On November 2, the city has likewise lifted the mandatory wearing of face shields and installation of plastic barriers inside passenger vehicles and on motorcycles. With this, law enforcers halted their apprehension of those who have not complied with the earlier barrier requirement.
He, meanwhile, urged the public to continue to adhere to the MPHS, such as wearing face masks, frequent hand hygiene especially when they are in public places, and avoiding crowded places.
The DCPO vowed to continue enforcing the guidelines set by the city and national government to prevent the further spread of infection.
On Monday, during her program, Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte warned the public against violating the MPHS, which may fuel another surge of cases amid the threat of the Omicron variant, which is now spreading in different countries.
She added that the Mandatory Face Mask Ordinance is still in effect which penalizes individuals for not wearing their face masks properly. Violators are fined P500 for the first offense, P2,000 for the second offense, and P5,000 fine or one-month imprisonment or both for the third offense.
The city mayor added that the personnel under the security cluster are on the ground to constantly remind the public to abide by the guidelines.CIO
