Mass gatherings or activities deemed as super spreader events are still prohibited, a Capitol official reminded the public amid the surge of new COVID-19 cases in Bohol.

In his daily online press briefer on Wednesday, Provincial Health Office (PHO) officer-in-charge Dr. Yul Lopez said fiesta celebrations, sports tournaments, dance events, parties, and entertainment activities in establishments such as live performances are still banned.

“Gi bawal nato ang mga mass gatherings very strictly ang exception lang niini ang medical gathering para sa emergencies ug security purposes sa pag-tigom apan with strict protocol,” said Lopez, who is also the spokesperson of the Bohol Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF).

According to Lopez, restaurants and places of worship are still mandated to only fill their establishments by 50 percent of their normal full capacity.

On Friday, Governor Art Yap also reminded local government units (LGU) to strictly observe his memorandum which directs all municipalities to have temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMF).

TTMFs are designated areas for isolation of COVID-19-stricken individuals who are not in need of hospitalization. The usage of TTMFs means that home quarantine for asymptomatic persons who have contracted COVID-19 are no longer allowed to undergo home quarantine.

Variants in Bohol

Yap issued the reminder after the Alpha and Beta variants of COVID-19, which were previously called the UK and South African variants, respectively, were detected in Bohol.

Both the Alpha and Beta have been considered as variants of concern or VOC by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

VOCs have been linked to increased transmissibility and virulence, or harmfulness, and decreased effectiveness of public health and social measures or vaccines and therapeutics, the WHO said.

Meanwhile, two cases of the Theta variant which was first detected in the Philippines, were also recorded in Bohol.

Theta is considered a variant of interest, which the Department of Health said is “not identified as a variant of concern, as current available data are insufficient to conclude whether the variant will have significant public health implications.”

Uniform curfew

Yap also signed Executive Order (EO) 34 which reinstates uniform curfew hours throughout the province as part of efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The EO which takes effect on July 20 stipulates that persons are prohibited from going out of their homes from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.

As of July 9, 2021, there were 1,212 active COVID-19 cases in Bohol with 149 new infections reported on the same day.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Bohol has not gone down since June 11, 2021.