Guv to issue EO on anti-dengue cleanup amid COVID-19 crisis

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. said on Tuesday that he is preparing an Executive Order (EO) mandating all residents to clean up their homes in preparation for the rainy season amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

The cleanup, dubbed “Limpyo Iloilo Home Quarantine Cleanup”, is aimed at keeping homes clean for the rainy season to avoid the risk of contracting dengue on top of COVID-19.

Iloilo province extended its Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) to May 15, 2020 via EO No. 110 based on recommendation by the National Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (NIATFMEID).

Prior to this, ECQ was already extended to April 30 via EO No. 102, upon recommendation of the NIATFMEID and with the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the province and the region.

The ECQ was originally imposed on the province via EO No. 080 on March 20, and was originally set to expire on April 14.

Defensor said that the provincial government is taking advantage of the ECQ to help residents prevent more health risks in the coming season.

“We’re issuing an [EO] because that’s what we want, ‘Limpyo Iloilo Home Quarantine Cleanup’. We will ask our residents to clean up their homes, because they under home quarantine, in preparation against dengue and to clean their surroundings as well,” he said.

He said the matter was already discussed with mayors during their meeting on May 4.

He added that this activity was originally planned for the rainy season, but they changed the date due to COVID-19.

“Our mayors will help us once because we will cascade this to them. That’s one of the things we discussed about with them. The rainy season is coming and it is in one of our original protocols and plans but it changed because of COVID-19. Evacuation centers will change. I just told them that, ‘Let us be prepared to make the adjustments, because usually there’s a typhoon and there’s our evacuation centers, but this is different.’ In the province we will procure face masks not only for [COVID-19] but for possible evacuation centers as well,” he said.

The governor also said that he will meet with the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) at the soonest possible time to plan adjustments in response to the upcoming season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are planning to meet with the PDRRMC as soon as possible to bring this up. We have to make adjustments in our plans and protocols. Whatever we do for any typhoon or calamity, there now will be a COVID-19 impact, so it will become different. So we have to prepare differently due to COVID-19,” he said.

Department of Health data has indicated that as of May 5, Iloilo has 18 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with five active cases, nine recoveries, and four deaths.