CEBU City Mayor Edgardo Labella issued an executive order that suspended the use of quarantine passes during the Misa de Gallo, which starts on Dec. 16, 2020 and lasts until Dec. 24.
Border control points will be opened to allow churchgoers who live outside the city to enter and exit without much hassle.
They will only be asked to show an identification card to prove they are not under 15 years old or above 65 years old, according to Col. Josefino Ligan, Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) director.
“We’ll be basically checking their IDs. However, those below 15 years of age and above 65 will not be allowed entry,” Ligan said in Cebuano.
The police official foresees a rise in the crime volume since he expects more people to be going in and out of the city during this period.
He said the CCPO will also deploy 167 police personnel in 35 churches around the city to ensure that the public observe minimum health standards.
Aside from this, police will also be on patrol, going to residential areas to look out for burglars and to check bus terminals and the port area.
“It’s going to be a lot of hard work, but we will be there to protect the citizens,” Ligan said in Cebuano.
The City Government has assured to augment police numbers with more than 300 anti-mendicancy personnel.
Ligan reminded churchgoers that minors who are below 15 years old and senior citizens who are above 65 years old will not be allowed entry.
Meanwhile, all churchgoers will be asked to write down their contact details (names, addresses and cellphone numbers) on a piece of paper and drop this off in a box outside the church entrance for contact tracing in case of a coronavirus transmission.
To avoid overcrowding in churches, Ligan urged members of the Roman Catholic faith to watch the mass online in the comfort of their own homes. / AYB / PJB