This Week in Southern Luzon (October 3 to 9, 2020)

Tagaytay City has now reopened major tourist spots and restaurants to the public. Tagaytay Administrator Gregorio Monreal announced in an interview that 80% of its restaurants and popular tourist spots including Tagaytay Picnic Grove, People’s Park, and SkyRanch have reopened for tourists. This is to give the economy of Tagaytay a kickstart. Monreal added that tourists are allowed in the province as long as they follow minimum public health standards like observing social distancing and wearing face masks and face shields. Senior citizens and people below 21 years old, however, are still prohibited from entering establishments. [1 &2]

The local government of Batangas announced that it will be implementing the “No Home Quarantine” policy in the province for all confirmed COVID-19 positive patients starting September 26, 2020. Batangas Provincial Health Officer Rozvilinda Ozaeta said that more than 2,000 asymptomatic patients are currently observing quarantine from home, and this worried the Inter-Agency Task Force for it can easily cause transmission among the family members of the patient. Ozaeta added that they will be opening three hotels that will serve as isolation facilities and are still currently talking to other hotel and resort owners. A plan of transporting the patients from their homes to the facility is also on its way. [3 & 4]

WalterMart Supermarket announced lengthened hours starting September 19. The supermarket is now open from 8:00 AM to 7:30 PM to serve more customers. This new store hour is applicable to WalterMart Tagaytay, Carmona, Dasmarinas, General Trias, Imus, and Tres Martires.

The employees of the company First Gen Corp recently held a “hi-tech” tree planting activity to help the livelihoods of the indigents who were deeply affected by the pandemic. Together with volunteers from First Philippine Holdings Corp, they planted mangrove saplings in Lobo, Batangas virtually. The “e-Planting” activity of the Employee POWER (EmPOWER) was done with some employees from Mindanao. The volunteers chose their mangrove planting spot the way a movie goer chooses his or her movie seat. They can choose their modes of payment and “adopt” a mangrove seedling for a price of PhP150. The names of the volunteers were engraved on a bamboo slat which was planted beside their seedling. [5]

The City Government of Batangas discussed plans of putting up more COVID-19 molecular testing laboratories in the different districts of the province. This is to strengthen the city’s testing and tracing capacity against COVID-19. The molecular laboratories can process a huge number of tests within 24 hours, and the processing fee of the said labs will be priced lower than the normal fees of PCR molecular testing labs in the CaLaBaRZon Region. As the meeting about the additional labs continues, the government is still strictly implementing health standards among its residents to help curb the spread of the disease. [6]

Go to Yoorekka for more COVID-19 updates in Southern Luzon.