The Quezon City government reimposed Monday its liquor ban from August 4 to 18, as Metro Manila reverts to stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
Mayor Joy Belmonte, in a memorandum dated August 3, said, “no liquor shall be sold at any time until August 18, 2020.
Quezon City first implemented a liquor ban in March under ECQ and lifted it when the capital shifted to MECQ in May.
President Rodrigo Duterte announced Sunday night that Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, and Laguna starting midnight on August 4.
The decision was made after medical health workers in the front lines pleaded to the President to give them at least a two-week break to “breathe” and recover from exhaustion due to surge of COVID-19 cases.
Quezon City residents should also observe a curfew from 10 pm to 5 am. They also need to present quarantine passes, and Special Concern Lockdowns would continuously be implemented in areas with a cluster of cases.
The local government also required subdivisions, workplaces, condominiums, hotels, and other establishments to report to the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit a suspect, probable, or confirmed COVID-19 cases among their staff.
Belmonte said local authorities would ask for “proof of a legitimate non-leisure reason for being in the city” from individuals who would enter QC but said no passes would be required for people leaving the city.
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Tricycles were the only form of public transportation that will be allowed to continue operating, the mayor also said.
“Tricycles may operate provided that each tricycle shall… have only one passenger, strictly implement no back-ride policy, provide a transparent barrier between the motorcycle and the sidecar,” Belmonte said, adding the need for regular disinfection of the unit.
As of August 1, Quezon City has logged 6,880 COVID-19 cases with 3,755 recoveries and 302 deaths.
The Philippines meanwhile recorded 106,330 COVID-19 cases, 2,104 deaths, and 65,821 recoveries.
With the reimposition of MECQ, experts from the University of the Philippines said there could be 50,000 to 70,000 fewer cases by the end of August.
According to Professor Ranjit Rye of the UP OCTA research team, the Philippines could have 220,000 COVID-19 cases by the end of the month if the capital remained under general community quarantine (GCQ).