‘LOCKDOWN’ EXTENDED: Western Visayas provinces, cities prolong quarantine

By Joseph B.A. Marzan and Dolly Yasa

Two provinces and two cities in Western Visayas so far have extended the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), also tagged as lockdown, in a bid to prevent the slow but sustained transmission of the coronavirus disease 2019 as described by the Department of Health (DOH)-6.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas formally extended the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) to 11:59 p.m. on April 30, 2020 amid the growing number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country.

The mayor issued Executive Order No. 061-2020, amending Executive Order No. 055-2020, which originally placed the city under ECQ up to April 14.

The ECQ is part of the city government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The mayor first confirmed the ECQ extension via text message to members of the Iloilo City Hall Press Corps evening of April 7.

“After due consultation with our focal person [Dr. Roland Jay Fortuna], [Department of Health], medical doctors, [City Health Office], some businessmen and in due coordination with [Iloilo] Governor Arthur ‘Toto’ Defensor Jr., I will be extending the declaration of an [ECQ] in the [Iloilo City] up to April 30 at 11:59 p.m. Please be safe. May the Lord God be with us all,” he said.

Other provisions of the EO 055-2020 will continue to be in effect until the end of the extended ECQ period. This includes the continued operation of essential establishments in the city, the use of Quarantine Passes in each household, the city-wide public transport ban, and penalties for violations, among others.

The mayor had also confirmed in a press conference on Wednesday that he had coordinated with other chief executives in Western Visayas regarding the extension of the ECQ.

“I’ve called the other governors in Panay [Island] and Guimaras. Ginpabalo ko man sa ila nga may extension kita sang aton nga [ECQ] kag ang tanan nga data nga available sa aton, ginpadala ko man sa ila, para nga sila mismo mabal-an man ang ila nga ubrahon sa kada probinsya, bangud subong sa nakatabo, indi lang diri sa aton sa [Iloilo City] kundi sa tanan nga utod naton nga ari diri sa Panay [Island] kag sa Guimaras,” he said.

Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. issued Executive Order No. 102 which extended the Enhanced Community Quarantine in Iloilo province to April 30, 2020.

 

GUIDELINES FOR ESTABLISHMENTS

The mayor also issued Executive Order No. 062, establishing guidelines to be followed in all public markets, supermarkets, convenience stores, sari-sari stores, groceries, commercial essential establishments and other similar businesses selling basic goods and commodities in Iloilo City amid the extended ECQ.

The EO mandates establishments to:

– adopt alternative work arrangements for employees to ensure observance of social distancing, such as work from home, alternating work shifts, and other like arrangements, when applicable;

– post the COVID-19 hotline (333-3333) in places within establishments which are visible to consumers;

– strict observance of social distancing, in which a person shall be at least one meter apart from the next person, and using social distancing monitors within the establishment;

– disinfecting high-traffic areas or spaces such as pushcarts, trollies, baskets, door handles and the like;

– provide hand sanitizers and/or alcohol;

– use non-contact thermal scanners;

– require all employees and officers to accomplish daily health interview cards which should be made available for inspection by proper authorities; and

– abide by other practices prescribed by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), the World Health Organization and the Department of Health.

EO 62 also mandates the following ‘best practices’ for protection of vulnerable sectors:

– allocate the first hour of business only to senior citizens, persons with disabilities, pregnant women and other vulnerable sectors, who may be at higher risk of COVID-19;

– limit the number of persons allowed inside the establishment to ensure social distancing;

– no other patron to be allowed during the [first hour]; and

– temporarily close the establishment after the last patron has left, to be sanitized and disinfected and only open the establishment after it has been completely sanitized and disinfected.

Persons who will violate EO 062 will face administrative and/or criminal sanctions.

 

CONTINUED AID

The mayor assured residents and frontliners that the city government will continue to give out aid throughout the extended ECQ period.

The mayor said that despite the distribution of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Social Amelioration Program to begin next week, the city government will continue its aid services to its residents and frontliners.

“Because of the [ECQ] kag waay pa balon ang aton pumuluyo, bisan makabaton pa na sila sang Special Amelioration Fund sa dason nga semana, makita naton nga sa aton ciudad, sigehon ta pa ang aton nga commitment sa aton nga mga frontliners. We feed more than 2,000 frontliners sugod sang kagapon, kag may nagahatag panyapon sa ila. We operate 240 community kitchens, kag isipon man naton, mga around 48,000 ang ginahatagan naton,” he said.

The Iloilo City Council had previously approved a P291-million supplemental budget, which the mayor had also previously said would be set aside for additional expenses should the ECQ be extended.

Apart from this, the City Council first approved the P98 million initial COVID-19 response fund set by the Iloilo City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

 

BACOLOD, NEGROS OCC.

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia also extended the ECQ in their constituencies for another two weeks.

Lacson issued Wednesday EO No. 20-2020 which extended the quarantine in Negros Occidental until April 30,2020.

Lacson said the extension is mandatory for all municipalities and cities in the province.

Leonardia made the same move via EO No. 29-2020 Wednesday afternoon.

Lacson said the ECQ can help contain the spread of COVID-19.

With the extension of the ECQ, Lacson said the provincial government is set to distribute 500 bags of rice to each local government units (LGUs).

 

CURED

On Wednesday morning, Lacson announced that the lone COVID-19 positive patient in the province has tested negative in her second swab test.

The patient, Lacson said, can be considered “cured” of the virus.

But he said she has still to observe the protocol of the Department of Health for a confirmatory test.

Lacson added that from the start of the ECQ, 135 specimens were sent for testing for COVID-19 – 130 results were negative, four are pending and one was positive.

The tests included 93 Persons Under Investigation (PUI) who were all negative.

PUI is a person with signs and symptoms and has travel history to infected areas.

Lacson said the number of persons under monitoring (PUM) is declining.

PUM is a person who has no signs and symptoms of COVID-19 but has travel history to infected areas and may have been exposed to infected persons.

 

BIZ GROUP AGREES

In a statement to Daily Guardian, Frank Carbon, executive officer of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said “we subscribe to the Governor and the Mayor. Let’s stay on the safe side for now up to April 30,” Carbon said.

Carbon also said that “after a month, we have probably done effective contact tracing, mass testing of PUMs and PUIs including those who are asymptomatic.”

“By then, we could partially open up or allow a little more economic activity while limiting the movement of people.  And, maybe, a month after we could go on normalization mode,” he added.