Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 17) — Local police have filed complaints against owners of four bars and restaurants in Boracay, where parties were held in March in violation of existing health protocols.
In a phone interview, Police Lt. Col. Don Dicksie de Dios of the Malay municipal police said they have lodged cases against the four establishments after contact tracing showed the “superspreader” parties, which took place on March 10, contributed to the rise in COVID-19 cases in the island.
De Dios did not disclose the names of the businesses.
Police said the cases were filed before the Aklan Prosecutors Office on April 15. It added that the business owners may face charges for violating Republic Act 11332, or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act.
Based on data from the Department of Health in Western Visayas, the province of Aklan, where Boracay is located, has tallied 2,004 COVID-19 cases as of May 17, of which 422 remain active.
Meanwhile in Cebu City, a resto-bar was ordered temporarily closed by police over the weekend after it held a disco party on Friday night.
A video recorded by authorities showed people crowding and violating social distancing rules inside “ClubHolic” located along General Maxilom Avenue.
Discos are still banned in the locality to prevent viral transmission, the city police’s deputy director for operations Wilbert Parilla said. Apart from this, he said the resto-bar accommodated more than the allowable capacity.
Parilla said they have already submitted their report to the city’s COVID-19 Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which also oversees special permits for business establishments. Based on its probe, the EOC will make recommendations to the mayor, who will have the final say on the fate of the establishment.
For now, however, ClubHolic has been allowed to operate again beginning Monday as it is only the first offense, said city councilor Joel Garganera, who is also the EOC’s deputy chief implementer. The business will be allowed to serve food and drinks, but dancing is prohibited.
COVID-19 infections in Cebu City have declined in the past weeks, figures from the DOH-Central Visayas show. As of May 16, the city has recorded a total of 23,893 cases, of which 536 are tagged as active.
