DAVAO CITY – There will celebrations and lots of food on the table on Christmas holiday alright, but there will be no drinking sessions.
To prevent exposure of more individuals to the highly infectious coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Mayor Sara Duterte will re-impose the 24/7 ban on alcoholic beverages effective 5 a.m. of November 2 until December 31, 2020.
In an Executive Order No. 59 issued on Thursday, Duterte prohibited the selling, serving, or consuming of liquor and any other alcoholic or intoxicating drinks in public, and warned the closure of establishments that will be caught violating the liquor ban.
The local chief executive directed the Vices Regulation Unit (VRU) and Barangay Councils to monitor the compliance of all restaurants, fastfood, sari-sari stores, and similar establishments, and must move for the closure of an establishment after a single violation is properly documented.
Last September 21, the 24/7 ban on the sale of alcoholic drinks, which was first implemented last April 6 when the city was then under a restrictive enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), had been lifted to “gradually allow business establishments to resume operations including businesses in the liquor industry.”
But Duterte had to re-impose the liquor ban, along with the curfew, starting from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. last October 15 to put the spread of COVID-19 under control.
The number of COVID-19 cases in the city surged following the “innumerable activities allowed during a Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ),” the order said.
The entire city was placed under ECQ from April 4 to May 15, general community quarantine from May 16 until June 30, and MGCQ beginning last July 1.
“There is a need to control the COVID-19 cases in Davao City because of the full occupancy of the COVID-19 beds in the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) and Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facilities (TTMFs),” it added.
As of October 29, Department of Health-Davao Region reported a total of 5,075 COVID-19 cases with 1,133 active cases, 3,755 recoveries, and 187 deaths.
Of this total, 3,445 cases were reported in Davao City, 291 in Davao de Oro, 541 in Davao del Norte, 368 in Davao del Sur, 98 in Davao Occidental, and 332 in Davao Oriental. (Antonio L. Colina IV)