AS part of the temporary return to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) status in Benguet, the local government has decided to put in place a provincial liquor ban.
Until May 23, the tentative end of the province’s MECQ status, the province of Benguet is subject to a blanket ban on purchase and public consumption of alcohol products.
The ban comes as part of Executive Order 2021-009 entitled “Implementation of Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) in the Province of Benguet” issued by Governor Melchor Diclas, and contains other restrictions aimed at stifling the spread of the COVID-19 disease in the province.
Among the order’s other provisions are a four-day limit on the conduct of wakes for the departed in Benguet, which are now also required to be held in coordination with Benguet’s local government.
The order also prohibits people aged 18 and below, as well as those who are 65 years old and above from leaving their residences. It also limits religious gatherings to a maximum of thirty percent of the venue’s capacity.
However, the order does not provide for strict uniform curfews, stating that curfews are subject to the discretion of the local government of each municipality to impose in their jurisdictions.
All of the province’s municipalities are also mandated to implement local laws that would enforce the use of masks and face shields, as well as levy penalties for failure to use said preventive measures.
