Iloilo town under ECQ after logging 13 new COVID cases

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

 

The once COVID-free town of Alimodian, Iloilo is now under the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) after the Department of Health-Center for Health Development Region 6 (DOH-CHD-6) confirmed reports on Monday of 13 confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In a statement on his personal Facebook account, Alimodian Mayor Calay Alonsabe announced that the town will be placed under the ECQ starting today, June 30, following recommendation by the DOH-CHD-6.

Alonsabe cleared that this was not a total lockdown, and advised his constituents not to spread false information, to stay alert, and to prevent from panic buying.

“Despite this test, let us show our cooperation, support, loving, helpfulness and most especially, our strength in facing this COVID-19 pandemic, with a positive outlook, trust and faith that we will get through all of this through the guidance and blessing of our Lord,” Alonsabe said in his statement.

In a press conference, the DOH-CHD-6 also confirmed that five of the 13 were the town’s frontliners and were close contacts of WV Patient No. 175, a 22-year-old female Locally-Stranded Individual (LSI) from the same town who tested positive for COVID-19 on June 20.

The infected frontliners included a Medical Technologist, a nurse, and three midwives.

Seven of the 13 are close contacts of another new case, WV Patient No. 283, a 55-year-old female health care worker while the remaining case was a contact of an Iloilo City case who was not identified.

The DOH-CHD-6 also recommended revisiting the status of the town five days after the ECQ and conduct of contact tracing by the town government.

Alonsabe stated in his Facebook post that these confirmed COVID-19 cases are now in facility quarantine.

Daily Guardian has reached out to Mayor Alonsabe for further information as of this writing but he has yet to respond.