THE Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) apprehended 119 quarantine violators in the first 53 days of 2021 amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
From Jan. 1 to 31, the city police caught 50 persons for not wearing a face mask and 62 curfew violators.
The MCPO personnel captured only two persons for not wearing a face mask and five curfew violators from Feb. 1 to 22.
MCPO Director Jonathan Abella said they regularly patrol the barangays as the residents living in the interior portions are the ones who often flaunt their quarantine protocol violations.
Violators
Some city residents living in the inner parts of barangays do not wear masks when they are outside their houses, and they linger in the neighborhood even if it is already curfew, which starts at 11 p.m. and ends at 4 a.m., Abella said.
The government imposed public health measures such as wearing of masks and social distancing to slow down the spread of Covid-19.
Community quarantine was first put in place in most parts of the country in the middle of March 2020 as Covid-19 infections started to rise.
From March 17 to Dec. 31, the MCPO apprehended 145 curfew violators, 130 persons for not wearing a face mask and 176 persons for disobeying authorities.
The persons who were caught for disobedience were the ones who had been warned by the police, but they disregarded the warnings and continued to violate the quarantine protocols.
Deployment
Abella said last year they apprehended several violators because they had more police officers deployed in the field.
Right now, Abella said his personnel were deployed at control points in the city.
Only a few police officers from the MCPO headquarters are tasked to conduct patrols in the barangays’ interiors and they are accompanied by tanods (watchmen). The police station personnel also conduct their own patrols.
Fines
The quarantine violators are detained for 12 hours and they can be released after paying the fines. However, a violator must render community service if he fails to pay the fine.
The fine for violating curfew is P500, while the penalty for not wearing a mask is P5,000, according to the city ordinance imposed since July 2020. (KFD)