CEBU CITY - Local government units in Cebu Province should not impose fines to people who are not wearing face mask or face shield, according to a government memo issued Tuesday.

Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia issued a memorandum Tuesday and said violators should not be made to pay penalties, citing economic hardships brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It’s hard for our people now to make out a living, pabayaron pa nimo (then you ask them to pay). We are kinder to criminals than violators of this mask-wearing thing... Let’s deal with real criminals, not violators of some illogical imposition,” she said in a press briefing.

Violators should instead be reminded, reprimanded or given lectures, she added.

As of April 20, Cebu Province logged more than 14,000 coronavirus infections, of which over 12,700 recovered while 615 died.

The province currently has 957 active cases or patients deemed infectious, data from the Department of Health-Central Visayas showed.

On April 3, a man in General Trias, Cavite died after he was forced to do strenuous physical exercise as punishment for breaching the curfew.

A week later, village watchmen in Laguna were accused of beating a man to death for violating the curfew.

• Death of alleged curfew violator in Cavite probed
• Curfew violator in Laguna dies after allegedly being beaten up by village watchmen

-- With a report from Annie Perez

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