GUADALUPE RESTRICTS RESIDENTS’ MOVEMENTS
Cebu City’s biggest barangay tries to slow down transmission after logging most number of Covid cases in last 2 weeks
BARANGAY Guadalupe in Cebu City will strictly implement the curfew, stay-at-home order and “Sunday lockdown” for two weeks starting Jan. 24, 2021 to help slow down the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) transmission in the barangay.
For the past 14 days, from Jan. 9 to Jan. 22, Guadalupe recorded the most number of coronavirus cases in the city with 50, based on the data released by the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
Barangay Captain Michael Gacasan said the Sunday lockdown means only essential establishments are allowed to operate, while only authorized persons outside residence and those with essential purposes are allowed to go out.
Essential delivery services, though, will not be hampered, he said.
The lockdown will give establishments time to disinfect their premises, Gacasan said during an interview on Saturday, Jan. 23.
The barangay also decided to cancel physical masses.
In southwestern town of Ginatilan, mayor urges visitors to stay away for 14 days after recording increase in coronavirus cases
Gacasan said they’re only eyeing two Sundays for the lockdown, but they will extend it if there is a need.
“If the number of cases drops, then there’s no need to continue with the lockdown,” Gacasan said in Cebuano.
The barangay logged 34 new cases in just one week, he said, which forced the barangay to come up with prompt action to slow down the transmission.
City Councilor Joel Garganera, deputy chief implementer of the city’s EOC, said Guadalupe’s active Covid-19 cases are spread out in the barangay’s 27 sitios, which is “alarming.”
“Nya medyo alarming sad kay di man gud na-contain lang sa usa ka balay (It’s also a bit alarming because the infection is not confined to only one household),” he added.
Garganera clarified that what officials in Guadalupe are doing is only a strict enforcement of protocols mandated by the executive order of Mayor Edgardo Labella.
Gacasan said the initiative is to prevent the further spread of the disease, which may affect the whole city if not acted upon.
Aside from Guadalupe, other barangays with a high number of cases in the past 14 days are Basak San Nicolas (32), Lahug (32), Mambaling (27), Talamban (26), Tisa (26), Kasambagan (25), Camputhaw (24), Bacayan (23) and Punta Princesa (23).
While the other barangays have not taken a similar action, Garganera said the Cebu City Police
Office has instructed police stations to increase police visibility in their jurisdictions.
In Cebu Province, officials in the southwestern town of Ginatilan have urged visitors to stay away for the next 14 days after reporting an increase in Covid-19 cases.
As of Saturday, Jan. 23, the town’s 23 new cases were composed of emergency responders, personnel from the municipal fire station, municipal employees and 13 detainees at the Ginatilan Police Station.
Mayor Dean Michael Singco said there is a possibility that the number will go up since they are still conducting contact tracing, which will include personnel assigned in the town’s police station.
The mayor has temporarily suspended transactions at the Municipal Hall.
He urged constituents to avoid attending activities that will require gatherings such as birthdays and weddings, among others, to avoid getting infected.
He also urged constituents to follow minimum health protocol while outside their homes such as wearing face masks, face shields and strictly observing social distancing.
Despite this development, Singco has no plans to temporarily close the town’s borders.
On Saturday, the Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,797 new coronavirus infections nationwide, pushing the total case count past 510,000.
As of 4 p.m. Saturday, total infections reached 511,679, of which 33,603 or 6.6 percent were active cases.
The highest number of new cases were from Davao City (151), Quezon City (90), Rizal (80), Isabela (64) and Bulacan (62).
The DOH case bulletin also showed 54 additional mortalities, increasing the death toll from Covid-19 to 10,190. The case fatality rate remained at 1.99 percent.
There were 166 additional recoveries, bringing the total to 467,886.
Nya medyo alarming sad kay di man gud na-contain lang sa usa ka balay (It’s also a bit alarming because the infection is not confined to only one household.)
JOEL GARGANERA Cebu City Councilor