GAPAN CITY – The city government has closed starting Monday to both residents and visitors all its tourist attractions, including the well-visited plaza, night market, and Lumang Gapan.
In an announcement, Mayor Emerson Pascual said he was constrained to order the closure by the failure of goers to follow health protocols against the coronavirus disease.
“Ipinagbawal ko ang mga bata at senior citizen pero dinadala pa din ng mga magulang ang mga anak nila. Nakikipag away pa sa mga IATF at mga pulis ang mga magulang. Nawawala ang social distancing at meron mass gathering,” Pascual lamented.
The plaza that sits at the heart of this city features a 100-foot tall Christmas tree, a 45-meter tall Ferris wheel that is lit as a giants lantern, a and multi-color fountain among others.
The plaza is connected to the Vigan-like Lumang Gapan through tunnel lights.
The night market stands beside the plaza, offering local delicacies and street food.
Aside from city personnel who get body temperatures at the gates, police personnel were advising public to observe minimum health standards and follow quarantine restrictions.
But Pascual noted that people “utterly violate” them.
“Madami pa na yung mga magulang idinadaan sa bakod ang mga bata makapasok lang dahil di sila makadaan sa gate na may bantay,” Pascual said in his social media post. “Yung iba kukuhanan lang ng thermometer scanner sa noo ayaw pa.” The mayor said that while he was happy to see the joy of Christmas season in this city with people from different places of Nueva Ecija visiting them, he was worried about Covid-19.
“Kaya masakit man po sa amin, napagkasunduan namin ng IATF na pangsamantalang isarado na ang mga pasyalan sa aming Lungsod hanggat hindi nakakahanap ng solusyon ang problema na ito,” he said.
