Due to rising Covid-19 cases, Cotabato City LGU re-imposes "No Movement Sunday" policy
Local News • 15:15 PM Wed May 5, 2021
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By:
Edwin O. Fernandez
Photo grab from Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi FB message.
COTABATO CITY – Due to rising cased of Covid-19 infections in the city, the Cotabato City Inter-Agency Task Force on Covid 19 will re-impose the “No Movement Sunday” policy beginning May 9.
City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, IATF chair, said the decision was reached during the task force meeting to reevaluate the city quarantine protocols.
“It was in October last year when we had recorded the highest number of Covid-19 positive cases and since then, the number slowly declined until we have reached the lowest in February,” Mayor Sayadi said.
The city has 354 cases in October 2020, the highest and only 44 in February this year. In March, the Covid-19 cases in the city was at 63 and in April it recorded 115 cases.
“We thought we were already doing fine, considering that we had days when the city recorded zero cases,” she said, adding that the it was in late March that the cases once again spiked.
“This April, we have recorded a total of one hundred fifteen cases, just when we have already started our vaccination process,” the mayor said.
She recalled that since the no movement Sunday was lifted in April “more cases are being recorded every day.”
In re-imposing No Movement Sunday policy, Mayor Sayadi also directed all establishments, offices, churches, terminals, markets, and other places that are frequented by people on a daily basis, will now be required to scan the digital IDs in their entrance and exit ways.
Mayor Sayadi lifted the “No movement Sunday” policy on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday to allow Catholics observe holy days and on April 18, 25 and May 2 to allow Muslims’ free movement during the fasting month.
She pointed out that the no movement Sunday policy, wearing of face masks and physical distancing are already a city ordinance, therefore, violators will be penalized.
She urged everybody’s cooperation.
“I would like to appeal to the officials of our neighboring provinces to please observe and respect quarantine policies in the city,” she said.