Pasay City mayor assures support to NG efforts to cut Covid spread
STRESSING that the city is prepared to help national government (NG) efforts to bring down Covid-19 cases in the country, Pasay Mayor Emi Calixto–rubiano threw her support on Wednesday to the recommendation of Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to place Metro Manila under Alert Level 4 quarantine classification.
“We support whatever measure the government will implement to help lower Covid-19 cases and to contain this virus not only in Metro Manila but the whole country,” calixto-rubiano said after the iatf’s decision to place Metro Manila beginning September 16 under the experimental Alert Level 4 as part of the government’s efforts to lower Covid cases.
She said Pasay City would not have a hard time adjusting even if their city and the entire National Capital Region (NCR) were placed under Alert Level 4 since they have previous experience in implementing the system.
In March 2021, the city had implemented granular lockdown after active cases reached at least 40.
The mayor added that as part of their preparations, they already produced information graphics to be posted on the city’s official online pages, even as they are also utilizing public address system of every barangay for their information dissemination campaign.
Calixto-rubiano said that they have already deployed more policemen, as well as staff from Pasay City Public Order and Safety Unit, traffic, Pasay City Environment Natural Office and even barangay officials were deputized to check or even apprehend violators if necessary.
Likewise, she said, they already prepared food packs and other necessary items to ensure that their residents who will be placed under granular lockdowns won’t have any excuse anymore to go out of their households.
The mayor said that Pasay City Hall would remain fully operational with at least 20 percent on site capacity with the implementation of work-from-home and other flexible work arrangement schemes.
Under the alert level, some restrictions will ease which will help some businesses to reopen.
Alert Level 4 means that “case counts are high and/or increasing, with total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate at high utilization.”
Under Alert Level 4, outdoor dining is allowed at 30 percent capacity, while indoor dining services are limited to 10 percent capacity and would only cater to fully vaccinated individuals.
Barbershops, hair spas, nail spas and beauty salons are allowed to operate at 30 percent if they have outdoor seating and only at 10 percent indoor, provided that they only serve fully vaccinated individuals.
Religious gatherings are also allowed at 30 percent capacity in outdoor venues, but are limited to 10 percent in indoor venues where only fully vaccinated people may participate.