As part of Palawan’s transition to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) starting May 1, based on the National Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) issuance, the Municipality of Narra led by Mayor Gerandy Danao will now be subject to a new guideline and directive until May 14, 2020 should there be no change in risk level.
Under the executive order which was published by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Narra and the mayor’s office, workers or employers who belong to Categories I, II, and III may now continue to work or operate in phases while those who fall under Category IV are still not allowed to go back into operation.
Under Category I, employees who work under the Agriculture, Fishery, Forestry, Food Manufacturing and Retail, Healthcare, Logistics, Water Services, Energy, Telecommunications and Media sectors are now allowed to fully operate.
However, fast foods and restaurants are only allowed to accept takeout and delivery orders.
Under Category II, according to the executive order, employees who work under Electronics (manufacturing and export), Electronic-Commerce, Repair and Maintenance Services as well as Housing and Office Services can now operate into half or full capacity depending on the discretion of their management and other circumstances.
For Category III, on the other hand, Financial Services and Non-Leisure Wholesale and Trading are directed to maintain half of their operation, based on the executive order.
Meanwhile, Category IV, such as schools, establishments who provides leisure, amusement, gaming and fitness are still instructed to maintain closure temporarily.
Category IV also prohibits activities under tourism and gatherings and conferences on both corporate and religious sectors. This also forbids full opening of malls and shopping centers and construction firms.
Section 2 of the new executive order states that the general public may now go outside for “basic necessary purposes” only, nevertheless, wearing of face mask and observing social distancing is still strictly recommended, and liquor ban shall be still be applied in all barangays.
Under the GCQ, residents aging 21-60 years old and above are emphasized to stay at home and follow a 24-hour curfew. However, in some cases, such as homes with only senior citizen residents, the barangay shall assist them in marketing their basic needs.
Based in the executive order, a resident cannot just go to places. Nevertheless, Authorized Persons Outside of Residence (APOR) such as – health workers, government officials and frontline personnel, those traveling for medical or humanitarian reasons, workers in permitted establishments, persons providing essential goods, services, and public utilities, essential skeletal workforce in Narra who wish to go to Puerto Princesa City for personal and emergency purposes must show a legitimate proof of their transaction to checkpoints under the town’s jurisdiction, a valid quarantine pass, and identification, at the same time, during return, they must voluntarily submit themselves into a 14-day home quarantine which will be monitored by staff from the Barangay Health Emergency Response Team (BHERT).
On the other hand, residents of Narra who are stranded in other places are still prohibited to return home pending orders from the National Government according to the order.
The executive order also approves the opening of seaports only for the movement of goods and supplies.
In the aspect of public transportation in the town, tricycles are now allowed to operate with “reduced capacity,” meaning, drivers must cater only one passenger at a time, strictly wear a face mask and gloves, and must have an alcohol or sanitizer inside their vehicle.
All employees of the municipality including job-orders and contractual shall still work at home as much as possible until further notice from the Civil Service Commission, as cited in the order.
Narra will also continue to follow the imposed curfew hours of 8PM to 5AM.