ILOILO – Seventeen towns begin observing a weekend lockdown in a further effort to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
These municipalities have varied approaches to the lockdown but there is one thing common among them: residents won’t be allowed to leave their homes unless there’s a medical emergency, or to buy medicines.
The towns are Calinog, Barotac Nuevo, San Enrique, Santa Barbara, Pavia, Tigbauan, and the 11 towns in northern Iloilo which called themselves the Northern Iloilo Alliance Anti-COVID 19 Task Force (Barotac Viejo, Concepcion, Ajuy, Sara, Balasan, Batad, Carles, San Rafael, Estancia, San Dionisio, and Lemery).
Mayor Francisco Calvo of Calinog said, “The strict implementation of the Expanded and Enhanced Community Quarantine shall be in effect from 5:01 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. of April 19 and April 26 (all Sundays).”
On the other hand, San Enrique’s Mayor Rosario Mediatrix Fernandez said, “All quarantine passes shall be temporarily suspended during Saturdays and Sundays to control or restrict the movement of people.”
Mayor Rema Somo of Santa Barbara said there would be “temporary closure of all business establishments and business operations every Sunday.”
In Tigbauan, Mayor Suzette Alquisada said there would be a “closure of the main public market and all business establishments in barangays Poblacion 1 to 9 and Barangay Tan Pael every Sunday.”
Meanwhile, the 11 towns in northern Iloilo started their weekend lockdown on April 12 yet. No residents of these towns leave their houses unless there’s a medical emergency or if purchasing medicines, or if the member of the household is working in a hospital.
All establishments in the 11 towns also close shop, except pharmacies.
In Calinog, medical practitioners/healthcare workers are exempted from the lockdown, and so are hospital and clinics, pharmacies, funeral parlors, and other similar establishments, but mass gathering of persons shall not be allowed.
In San Enrique, also exempted are policemen, fire bureau personnel, the delivery of food and medicines, Universal Robina Corp. employees (provided they present a Certificate of Employment and company identification card), and sugarcane trucks (driver only, ho helpers allowed).
In Santa Barbara, exemptions are similar to the other towns but with the addition of gasoline stations, ALERTO Operations Center, rural health unit, Radyo Kahilwayan and emergency responders.
On the part of Tigbauan, there would be cleaning and disinfection of the main public market on Sunday (closed whole day). Consumers can do their marketing in satellite markets in barangays Dapdap, Napnapan Sur, Parara Norte, and Parara Sur.
In Barotac Nuevo, despite social distancing protocols outlined in executive orders he issued relative to the prevention and control of COVID-19, Mayor Bryant Paul Biron of Barotac Nuevo lamented, “We still encounter a lot of problems imposing (them).”
Thus he issued Executive Order (EO) No. 38, Series of 2020 imposing “total quarantine” on the two remaining Sundays of April (19 and 26) to further strengthen the municipality’s measures against the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19.
As of April 14, Barotac Nuevo had two confirmed COVID-19 cases – a 59-year-old female who died on April 5 and a 25-year-old female confined in a hospital but with stable condition.
Social distancing would be strictly enforced and people would be prohibited from leaving their houses unless there is an emergency.
Biron particularly wanted social distancing observed in the public market in Barangay Ilaud Poblacion “and in all essential establishments.”
In Pavia, no one would be allowed to leave their homes except Department of Health personnel, healthcare/hospital workers, Pavia Emergency Responders and Municipal Health Office personnel and workers, government officials / personnel (provincial and national officials and employees, Municipal Task Force on COVID-19, Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Army, municipal traffic authorities, those manning COVID-19 checkpoints within Pavia, municipal and barangay officials and employees, relief operation workers), media practitioners, those going to the pharmacy or hospital.
All establishments and business operations of whatever nature (including public market, sari-sari stores, talipapa, convenience stores) shall be closed except for drugstores, medical clinics/laboratories and hospitals, funeral parlor, memorial chapels and related facilities, food processing business, and media.
The operation of tricycles and trisikad are suspended, too./PN
