The Cebu Port Authority (CPA) has stepped up security and safety measures via the “Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: Semana Santa 2021” from March 29 to April 6.

The CPA will deploy additional safe distancing marshals and port police officers in different domestic ports in Cebu province with high passenger traffic.

CPA general manager Leonila Miole on Friday said they would work closely with partner agencies and port stakeholders to ensure passengers’ safety during the Holy Week.

The port management is committed to double its efforts to prevent overcrowding and heavy queuing inside the ports amid the rising coronavirus diseases 2019 (Covid-19) cases in Cebu.

“As the government continues to ease travel restrictions and with the ongoing threat of Covid-19 we activated ‘Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: Semana Santa 2021’,” Miole said in an interview.

Miole urged the public anew to observe and follow strictly all safety and health protocols within the port premises and encouraged all outbound passengers to coordinate in advance with their receiving local government units (LGUs) or with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) for the requirements before their travel.

For the receiving LGUs with no imposed travel requirements, all passengers are encouraged to book their tickets in advance, he added.

There will also be strict enforcement of health and safety protocols such as the mandatory wearing of face shields and masks, temperature check, and physical distancing, he said.

Appropriate markers were placed on the floors and seats for proper guidance, Miole added.

Disinfecting foot baths are also put in place at the entrance and exits of the passenger terminals and offices.

Likewise, sanitizing hand rub dispensers and lavatories for hand washing are placed in prominent places of the passenger terminal, he said.

Persons who refuse to comply with any directives of the CPA and other law enforcement agents inside the port premises will be slapped with fines ranging from PHP200 to PHP1,000.

First-time offenders will be asked to pay a fine of PHP200, PHP500 will be imposed on second-time violators, and PHP1, 000 for the third offense.

Miole assured that daily disinfection activities are being conducted in all port passenger terminal buildings, port entry and exit points, shuttle buses, and all other areas within the port that are highly exposed to passenger traffic.

He also urged the public to report individuals selling fake RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) test results to passengers outside the port area.

The National Bureau of Investigation-7 conducted an entrapment last March 18 and arrested two individuals for selling bogus health documents. (PNA)