Pangasinan brings ban on gatherings to barangay level
THE PANGASINAN provincial board has passed a resolution ordering village leaders along with the youth representatives to suspend “activities that could draw crowd in their respective localities” to avoid potential community transmission of the new coronavirus disease known as COVID-19. The ban includes barangay fiestas and Sangguniang Kabataan activities, which are mostly scheduled during the summer vacation months of March to May. “The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial board) is calling on all local government units more particularly Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials to be united in helping the national and provincial governments to combat the acute respiratory diseases by suspending activities that could draw crowd in their respective localities,” reads the resolution authored by Board Member Jose G. Peralta, who heads the Liga ng mga Barangay Provincial Federation. Governor Amado I. Espino III has earlier ordered the cancellation of all provincial governmentorganized events and urged local government units to do the same. Meanwhile, Department of Health (DoH) Ilocos Region Director Valeriano Lopez said on Wednesday that none of the people who came into contact with the COVID-19-positive patient from Australia have so far shown symptoms of the disease. The Filipino-Australian visited the province for a school reunion and was confirmed with the virus upon her return to Australia.