Iloilo mandates testing amid ECQ extension

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. issued Executive Order No. 102, extending the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in the province to April 30, 2020 amid the growing number of confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the province.

The governor had previously issued Executive Order No. 080 on March 20, 2020, placing the entire province under the ECQ until April 14 as part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

EO 102 extends the effectivity of the provisions EO 028-C which imposed travel restrictions on persons entering the province, and provisions EO 080.

 

MANDATORY TESTING

The new EO also imposes mandatory testing for COVID-19 in the province, with priority given to the following, but in no particular order:

– frontline workers in the health sector addressing COVID-19, such as, but not limited to, medical personnel, health workers, humanitarian workers, and personnel and employees in the hospitals and other health facilities;

– persons considered vulnerable to infection from COVID-19, such as the elderly, pregnant women, those suffering from diseases, conditions or underlying medical problems including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic lung disease and immunosuppression, pursuant to reverse quarantine and isolation procedures;

– suspect and probable cases pursuant to the Department of Health’s (DOH) Department Memorandum No. 2020-0138; and

– residual Persons Under Monitoring (PUM) under the DOH Decision Tool for COVID-19 Assessment as of 13 March 2020 such as, but not limited to, those resulting from contact tracing.

EO 102 also enjoins municipal and city mayors and punong barangays to activate their Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERT) pursuant to Department Memorandum No. 2020-0138 of the DOH.

Municipal and city mayors are also enjoined to establish common quarantine facilities to accommodate residual cases of PUMs under the DOH Decision Tool.

As of April 7, Iloilo province has had 15 confirmed COVID-19 cases with three fatalities.