Fish deliveries continue amid port lockdown

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

 

Deliveries of fish and other aquatic food products in Iloilo City have been transferred to a smaller dock in the meantime after the Iloilo City Fishing Port was placed under temporary lockdown due to many confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) attributed to the facility.

The city’s main fishing port was placed under a three-day lockdown starting on Monday after a fish broker who tested positive for COVID-19 died recently.

Also, 26 more confirmed cases were reported by the city government on August 5.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas announced in a press briefing on August 6 that 36 new COVID cases were traced to the fishing port.

The new cases are in Barangays Pala-pala Zone 1 (1), Pala-pala Zone 2 (7), Tanza Baybay (2) in City Proper; Cuartero (4), Simon Ledesma (1) in Jaro; North Baluarte (1), Boulevard (1) in Molo; Tanza Bonifacio, City Proper (1); San Juan, Molo (10); Calaparan, Arevalo (1); Airport, Mandurriao (4); Kahirupan (1), Balabago in Jaro (1); and Rizal Estanzuela, City Proper (1).

So far, 64 cases have been traced to the fishing port area since last week.

In a press briefing on Thursday, Treñas said that fishing operations continue despite the lockdown, with docking transferred to Barangay Legaspi dela Rama in City Proper district.

“The fish are being docked at [Barangay] Legaspi [dela Rama] and they’re still able to reach our markets. We’ve given space for the fishing boats to dock for the meantime because we don’t want the city to run out of fish. There are protocols being followed in Legaspi that I have given to [Jeck] Conlu,” Treñas said.

Conlu is the head of the Public Safety and Transportation Management Office.

The mayor also warned that Barangays Simon Ledesma, Jaro and Airport, Mandurriao may be placed under lockdown if they record more cases.

The mayor added that the rapid spike in cases at the fishing port was due to the lack of protocols by the management as many fisher folks come from major fish ports such as Navotas City in Metro Manila which is now under modified enhanced community quarantine due to rising number of cases.

He added that the fish port lockdown might be extended if cases continue to pile up.

“The cases grew because the fishermen in boats also go to other places in the Philippines, like Navotas, and other places. They brought the infection, plus the fact that there was no protocol placed by the management there, not even a knapsack sprayer, which I think they’re having a hard time buying. Their handling (of the situation) there at the fishing port is very lacking. That is why we extended the lockdown at the fishing port, and we will continue to extend the lockdown if we will see more cases coming up,” the mayor said.

Treñas also explained that the rising cases attributed to the fish port was the main cause of the temporary closure of the Iloilo Terminal Market on August 5.

The mayor added that most of the market’s vendors also come from villages with rising COVID cases.

“The reason why we closed the Terminal Market, is because majority of the fish comes from the fishing port, and they also buy the fish there. Most of the vendors are from Pala-pala 1 and Pala-pala 2 and the cases there are also rising. I hope the people understand that we are just controlling the spread of the infection,” the mayor added.