Iloilo City bans Guimbal folks

By Emme Rose Santiagudo

People from the town of Guimbal, Iloilo will be barred from entering Iloilo City following the declaration of the health department that all residents of the town are considered persons under monitoring (PUMs) for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), City Mayor Jerry Treñas announced on Wednesday.

“I will not allow a person who is considered as PUM by the health department to go around the city and theoretically infect everyone that they meet,” he said in a press conference on Wednesday.

The Department of Health Center for Health and Development in Western Visayas (DOH-CHD 6) has confirmed that local transmission of COVID-19 has been established in the town of Guimbal.

The first two cases in the town of Guimbal are connected, which means that it has met the qualifications of local transmission, according to Dr. Marlyn Convocar regional director of DOH-CHD 6.

“Local transmission has been established meaning the source of the infection is within the reporting location,” Convocar said on Tuesday.

The health department said the presence of local transmission in Guimbal automatically labels all the residents from the town as PUMs and should undergo home quarantine.

Likewise, residents who will exhibit signs and symptoms of Covid-19 will be declared as persons under investigation (PUIs) and should be treated accordingly.

PUIs are individuals who travelled to places with cases of Covid-19 or were exposed to a positive case and manifested signs and symptoms of Covid-19.

Based on the latest bulletin issued by DOH-CHD 6, three confirmed cases of Covid-19 have already been recorded in Iloilo City with one death.

The fatality is a 58-year-old male with still unknown travel history and exposure. He expired on March 31, 2020.

According to Treñas, he is left with no choice but prioritize the safety of the residents of Iloilo City.

“You know ang primary ko nga concern diri ya sa siyudad, we have to make sure as much as possible nga ang health and security sang tanan diri sa siyudad so since it is the DOH who declared them as PUM teh indi na kita kapasulod sa ila,” he furthered.

He cited the example of Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel who allegedly breached the quarantine protocol by wandering off to a hospital and a grocery store despite being identified as a PUM.

If the senator was in Iloilo City, Treñas said he will instantly arrest him for violating the quarantine protocol.

“Ang senador nga naglagaw lagaw sa ospital to si Koko Pimentel kon ari na siya sa Iloilo City padakop ko siya sa pulis kay kon PUM ka indi bala dapat ma-undergo ka 14-day home quarantine,” the mayor stressed.

Meanwhile, the mayor added that people who are working in Iloilo City but reside in Guimbal are advised to stay in Iloilo City if they don’t want to be denied of entry in the metro.

“PUM na sila kon gusto nila nga makatinir sila sa siyudad and mag-ubra then mapabiin na lang sila diri, that is their choice pero kon mapuli sila kag mabalik teh PUM man gihapon sila,” he said.

Cargo and goods going to and from the Iloilo province and Iloilo City will be exempted from the quarantine measures, Treñas said.