DAVAO ORIENTAL, March 23 (PIA) - Anyone found loitering outside their houses with no Home Quarantine Pass (HQP) shall be apprehended by personnel of the provincial Interagency Task Force on COVID-19 (IATF COVID-19).

The Provincial Government of Davao Oriental is set to implement this policy on March 27 after details of the guidelines of such policy shall have been refined and considered ready for implementation by the provincial IATF COVID-19, Provincial Information Officer Karen Lou Deloso said.

Over the weekend, key members of IATF COVID-19 sat down in a small group meeting at the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office Operation Center "to resolve some issues regarding the implementation of the Community Quarantine in the province".

"The Task Force hopes to implement the system on March 27 prior to the tentative schedule of the distribution of food packs in the barangays. The set of guidelines is set to be released anytime this week," Deloso said referring to HQP.

The Provincial IATF COVID-19 has released thru the PIO its Home Quarantine social media cards on salient points of Executive Order No. 09 signed and released by Provincial Governor Nelson Dayanghirang on March 18, declaring the entire province of Davao Oriental under Community Quarantine and adopting the Unified Community Quarantine of the Davao Region.

Among the essential points of Davao Oriental Community Quarantine is the distribution of a Home Quarantine Pass (HQP) under item No. 5 of the SocMed which says that such card would be given to only one person per family.

The assigned person per family is the one tasked to buy food and the one to receive food packs from the local government. The HQP is non-transferrable.

Those without such pass but are working, would be asked to present their company or office identification card. Those without the pass but are found outside their homes would be apprehended by government authorities.

The policy on providing Home Quarantine Pass runs in line with Section 1 items No. 1 and 10 of E.O. No. 9 of Governor Dayanghirang.

Item No. 1 emphasizes that "People should stay in their homes and may only come out to work, buy food or medicines, go to the hospital or take out garbage. All activities purposely for pleasure and leisure such as but not limited to going to bars, engaging in social gatherings are strictly prohibited".

Among other actions set to exercise caution in buying goods and necessities, Item No. 10 of the said E.O. recommends "that each household will assign only one person to buy goods for their consumption". (with reports from PIO Davao Oriental/ Jeanevive Duron Abangan, PIA XI)