TAGBILARAN CITY – Governor Arthur Yap has corrected the executive order (EO) earlier reported as “intensified community quarantine” and officially announced on Thursday that the measure was a regulation of operating hours of business establishments on the duration of the “community quarantine or calibrated lockdown.”
Yap explained he corrected the draft EO leaked to the media earlier this week in order to make information on the outlined policies clearer to the residents of Bohol.
He said the corrected version of the order carries revisions on some restrictions and conditions.
As officially introduced, EO 18 is titled “An Order Regulating the Operating hours of Business Establishments During the Duration of the Community Quarantine,” which will take effect on 2:01 a.m. of March 30 and shall remain in force until sooner revoked.
Under the final EO 18, “all business and commercial establishments shall be closed until the community quarantine is lifted,” with the exception of some essential establishments, including those located inside the malls “that shall remain open on a regulated operating hour basis.”
It also allows public markets to operate on conditions that its operating hours shall be from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. only, with all the vendors and buyers obliged to wear masks.
“All local government units shall impose a one-entry, one exit policy during operation hours and stalls selling non-essential goods and commodities, such as but not limited to, non-food products, dry goods (except textiles to be used for face masks), plastic wares, flowers and the like shall not be allowed to open and operate,” the corrected order read.
Also exempted from the closure are slaughterhouses, supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, medical facilities such as hospitals, medical clinics, diagnostic centers and laboratories, and pharmacies and drug stores as well as water refilling stations.
Financial institutions exempted from closure are banks, pawnshops, money transfer services, lending agencies, and payment and remittance centers.
The EO also exempts public utilities such as electric companies or power distribution companies, waterworks or water services companies and telecommunications, as well as gasoline stations and fuel outlets.
While funeral parlors are also exempted, wakes are limited only to family members and the duration is only two days.
Restaurants, fast food chains, bakeries and other food establishments are allowed to open, provided that their operations shall be limited to take-out or delivery.
It added that media establishments are included in firms being exempted from closure, in addition to shipping and cargo handling companies and services, agricultural supply stores for farming and fishing and other related supplies, food manufacturing and food processing plants and facilities, including those producing rice, grains, flour, wheat, meat, fish and other related products.
The corrected version of the order also exempts hardware and construction supply stores, quarry operations, business process outsourcing (BPO), textile industry primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of yarn, cloth and clothing, laundry shops, motor or automotive or vehicular repair shops and stores selling vehicle spare parts. (PNA)