Bar business owners in Davao City have expressed their commitment to strictly comply with the implementation of the minimum public health standards (MPHS) and enforce a no-vaccine, no-entry policy within their establishments following an incident at a downtown bar on Saturday evening, February 19, 2022, where the MPHS was violated and no DQR scanning was done on customers.
Davao City COVID-19 Spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser, during the COVID-19 Alert program of 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, said, “We encouraged the bar owners sa katong no-vaccination, no-entry. They were very willing man to cooperate. The government can’t implement it yet pero ang mga private establishments, kung gustuhon nila, pwede. But we are imposing on them na ipa-follow gyud ang MPHS sa sulod sa ilahang mga establishments (We encouraged the bar owners about the no-vaccination, no-entry policy. They were very willing to cooperate. The government can’t implement it yet but the private establishments can if they want to. But we are imposing on them to have the MPHS followed in their establishments). They were very receptive to the idea.”
She said it would be a great help in the city’s fight against COVID-19 if establishments, such as bars, would only allow the entry of fully vaccinated individuals.
Inside bars, according to her, taking off the face mask is inevitable when eating or drinking.
She said even if masks are removed when eating or drinking, it would not be as risky if fully vaccinated and social distancing is observed.
“At least fully vaccinated atong mga katawhan and then naa’y additional layer of protection. (At least Dabawenyos are fully vaccinated and that they have an additional layer of protection).”
Dr. Schlosser added, “At that time na nag meeting mi with bar owners, they were expressing na gusto sila mag cooperate sa atong mga lakang. Hopefully gyud tuparon nila ang ilang gi-express na kooperasyon (During our meeting with the bar owners, they expressed that they want to cooperate with our efforts. I hope they fulfill the cooperation that they expressed).”
She said that implementing the MPHS and the no-vaccine no-entry policy is an effective way to prevent another Supladoz incident, where photos and videos showed customers drinking, dancing, and partying their hearts out without wearing face masks, and social distancing was not observed.
Following the MPHS, she said, is one of the most effective ways to protect one’s self against getting the infection. Without the droplets coming from one’s nose or mouth, no virus transmission will happen.
“So kung ma-follow lang nato ang MPHS, dako gyud ang tsansa nga dili nato ma transmit ang virus sa other people (If we just follow the MPHS, there’s a great chance of not transmitting the virus to other people),” Dr. Schlosser said.
She reiterated that aside from the MPHS, the vaccine is an additional layer of protection against the severity of the disease. If a fully vaccinated individual does get infected, he or she won’t have to die if the case is moderate, severe, or critical.
She also said that even if the city is currently under the Alert Level 2 status, everybody must stay vigilant and not let their guards down and that everybody must properly observe the MPHS.
Meanwhile, the owner of the controversial Supladoz restobar was also in attendance during the meeting that was also attended by the Response Cluster Team head and other members of the Davao City COVID-19 Task Force.
“During our meeting kagahapon, naa didto ang tag-iya sa Supladoz (During our meeting yesterday, the Supladoz owner was also there). He was very sorry for what had happened but just like what our Response Cluster head said, `Yes, he’s sorry but the City Government of Davao will still be running after him,” she said.
And since Supladoz illegally operated without a business permit, Dr. Schlosser said the Business Bureau is investigating the establishment before filing a case against them but the latter assured they will be given due process.
The erring establishment received a cease and desist order on Sunday, February 20, just a day after the unfortunate incident.
She also said that the Business Bureau, the Prevention and Enforcement Team, and the City Legal Office are also looking into Supladoz’s violations of the MPHS implementation and mandatory DQR scanning of their clients for the filing of appropriate charges. CIO
