Capiz town imposes ‘lockdown’

By Felipe V. Celino

ROXAS CITY, Capiz – The town of Tapaz, Capiz is under general lockdown starting March 21, 2020 due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Mayor Roberto “Nonong” Palomar issued an executive order placing the entire town under general quarantine which prohibits residents from going out unnecessarily. It also prohibited strangers from entering the town.

Palomar said checkpoints have been placed at the entrance and exit points of the town while curfew will be imposed from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

“Although there was no reported positive case of COVID-19, we don’t have to wait for that to come,” he said.

Earlier, Capiz Governor Esteban Evan Nonoy Contreras issued a statement that there was no lockdown on the entire province but only travel restrictions.

He clarified that exempted from the restrictions are those government officials and employees performing their jobs; medical, health and humanitarian workers in other provinces performing in their jobs and functions; and patients under chemotherapy and hemodialysis; traders of goods, among others.

Aside from the travel restrictions, the police will impose general curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.