Ilagan City under lockdown anew

ILAGAN City has been placed under a stricter enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) starting Friday, October 16, because of the recent surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases.

Local government officers said the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), which ended on Friday, failed to slash the number of virus infections through local transmission, prompting the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to place the city under ECQ.

Gov. Rodolfo Albano 3rd recommended that the Regional IATFEID should lock down Ilagan City.

Ilagan City Mayor Jose Marie Diaz announced the effectivity of the ECQ from October 16 to 30.

Diaz said there is now a liquor ban while public utility vehicles are also prohibited from plying routes to lessen the movement of people for nonessential purposes.

According to the Department of Health in Region 2, Ilagan City has recorded 245 new Covid19 cases during the period October 1 to 16 that was higher compared to two months of surging Covid cases in Solano town in the neighboring province of Nueva Vizcaya.

Solano town was also severely affected by the disease through local transmission in August and September.

Diaz also issued an executive order declaring October 18 as “Day of Prayer” to give Ilagueños time to “self-search and pray for their safety from the pandemic.”

Under the October 1 to 16 MECQ period, close to half of 91 villages were affected by the local transmissions of the virus.