PARTY SEEN AS SUPER SPREADER: Boracay Island village placed on ‘surgical lockdown’

By Jennifer P. Rendon

 

Portions of a village in Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan were placed under lockdown following a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Acting Mayor Floribar Bautista of Malay said they placed Zones 5 and 6 of Barangay Balabag under surgical lockdown for 14 days, which started 12 am of March 28 until 12 am of April 10, 2021.

“So, its not really the whole of Zones 5 and 6 but those areas where we noted several cases of COVID-19 among workers staying in boarding houses,” Bautista said.

Upon the recommendation of the Malay Inter-Agency Task Force and the LGU Malay Incident Management Team, Bautista issued Executive Order No. 012 placing certain areas in the two zones under lockdown.

The protocols on Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) will be imposed on affected areas.

However, Bautista said the duration of the surgical lockdown may be lifted earlier depending on the status of COVID-19 cases.

Based on the health bulletin of the Malay IATF Against Covid-19 issued on March 28, 12 new cases were recorded, bringing the town’s total cases to 92, with 33 active cases, 58 recoveries, and one death.

The 12 new cases include 10 in Barangay Balabag and one each in Manoc-Manoc and Caticlan village.

Barangay Yapak in Boracay Island has no new case, but it has one active case.

Barangay Balabag, Zone 6 currently has 16 active cases while Zone 5 has 8 cases.

Zone 1 has one while Zones 2, 3, 4, and 7 have no active case.

Distribution of quarantine passes is being spearheaded by the Barangay Balabag Council to their respective constituents affected by the declaration.

Members of Malay Police Station, together with the PNP Maritime Unit, Malay Auxiliary Police, Balabag barangay tanods, Philippine Navy, Philippine Army, Bureau of Fire Protection, beach guards, and LGU security personnel, are manning borders of Zones 5 and 6.

Pursuant to the Section 2, Number 14 of the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine in the Philippines of the National IATF-EID, the movement of cargo vehicles within the affected area shall be unhampered.

The main road along the affected area shall still be accessible to motorists.

“All persons, whether natural or juridical, shall abide with the same limitations and guidelines on Enhanced Community Quarantine as stated in the Section 2 of the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine in the Philippines of the National IATF-EID,” the executive order added.

“Only individuals considered by the IATF-EID as Authorized Persons Outside of Residence (APOR) are allowed to leave their respective residences in the Affected Areas. Except those qualified as APOR, no other person, except for emergency cases, shall be allowed to leave their residence. No person shall also be allowed to enter the Affected Area.”

Any violation of this Executive Order shall be subject to the penalties provided by the Municipal Ordinance No. 412, or the Comprehensive Municipal Ordinance in COVID-19 Mitigation and Control, as well as the Republic Act 11332 or in accordance with other existing Executive Orders, Ordinances, and National Laws.

Contact tracing conducted by the Municipal Health Office of LGU Malay is still ongoing.

The earlier that we could trace and test them, the better,” Bautista said.

The Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office of LGU Malay will also distribute relief packs for the affected households.

 

INDEX CASE

The index case in the island was a male worker, who is temporarily staying in one of the two villages under lockdown, who had close contact with a tourist from Metro Manila.

The tourist arrived in Boracay on March 10 and left the island on March 13.

On March 16, the tourist underwent a swab test, and the result came out positive.

It was surmised that the worker experienced symptoms and had himself tested. On March 23, his positive result came out.

But prior to that, the male worker allegedly attended a party at a Boracay bar, which was already closed down.

Bautista theorized that the party may have been a super spreader event that led to the abrupt rise in COVID cases in the island.