JANUARY 2020
* Jan. 8, 2020 – Wary of the possible entry of a mystery virus from China causing a respiratory illness with pneumonia-like symptoms, the Department of Health (DOH) ordered the tight screening of travelers entering through Western Visayas’ international airports.
The region’s international airports were all in Panay Island – the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo; the Kalibo International Airport and Boracay Airport both in Aklan.
* Jan. 17, 18, and 20, 2020 – three Boracay Island-bound Chinese visitors who entered the country through the Kalibo International Airport were successively placed under quarantine in Kalibo, Aklan. The airport’s thermal scanner detected them with fever.
The three Chinese nationals — a 29-year-old, a three-year-old and a 65-year-old — were referred to the Dr. Rafael S. Tumbukon Memorial Hospital. They eventually tested negative for this new coronavirus disease.
* Jan. 22, 2020 – DOH Region 6 issued a “code white” alert for all hospitals as part of efforts to shield Western Visayas from a novel coronavirus. A code white alert refers to the readiness of hospital manpower like general and orthopedic surgeons, anesthesiologists, internists, operating room nurses, opthalmologists, and otorhinolaryngologists, to respond to any emergency situation.
* Jan. 23, 2020 – Iloilo Airport tightened quarantine protocols.
* Jan. 30, 2020 – DOH confirmed the first case of “novel coronavirus 2019” in the country – a Chinese woman from Wuhan, the epicenter of the new virus. She entered the Philippines via Hong Kong.
In Western Visasyas, DOH confirmed a spike in the demand for facemasks. In Iloilo province, Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. pushed for a temporary suspension of international flights (to and from Hong Kong and Singapore) at the Iloilo Airport.
* Jan. 31, 2020 – The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency after the virus spread to more than a dozen countries.
In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a temporary ban of Chinese nationals from China’s Hubei province, Wuhan City.
FEBRUARY
* Feb. 2, 2020 – DOH recorded the first COVID-19 fatality in the country – a 44-year old Chinese man admitted to the San Lazaro Hospital for pneumonia after experiencing fever, cough and sore throat.
In Western Visayas, public utility vehicle drivers and conductors were ordered to wear facemasks by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
* Beginning Feb. 4, 2020, flights from Hong Kong to Iloilo and vice versa were cancelled.
* Feb, 3, 2020 – The Department of Education (DepEd) Region 6 announced the postponement of the 2020 Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association Meet in Aklan.
* Feb. 5, 2020 — The Iloilo City Government cancelled the Paraw Regatta Festival scheduled on Feb. 23 to March 1.
* Feb. 6, 2020 – Aklan’s Gov. Florencio Miraflores confirmed the massive cancellation of hotel bookings of mostly by foreign tourists in Boracay Island.
* Feb. 7, 2020 – Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas called for a halt to flights from Singapore to Iloilo and vice versa. Then on Feb. 10, he urged the Bureau of Customs, the Bureau of Quarantine and City Health Office to quarantine foreign vessels entering the metro.
* Feb. 17, 2020 – Mayor Treñas prohibited the holding of big crowd-drawing events in Iloilo City for the whole February and March. Then on Feb. 25, he included in the prohibition all religious gatherings.
MARCH
* President Duterte signed Proclamation No. 922 on March 8 declaring a state of public health emergency.
* DepEd Schools Division of Iloilo ordered schools to forego graduation and recognition ceremonies for school year 2019-2020. The order covered public and private schools from Kindergarten to Senior High School.
* March 13, 2020 – Mayor Treñas ordered the suspension of classes in Iloilo City from March 16 to 31 in all levels in both public and private schools.
* Mach 16, 2020 – All provinces, cities and towns in Region 6 started imposing travel restrictions.
Four days later, on March 20, Iloilo City started a 26-day “enhanced community quarantine” or ECQ. All public and private offices, business and commercial establishments were closed, but with some exemptions. A curfew was enforced from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. though there were some exemptions. No one was allowed to go out except in cases of emergency or for the sole purpose of purchasing food, medicines, basic necessities and prime commodities. Dispensing and transporting liquor was also prohibited.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro announced the suspension of Holy Week activities (April 5-11). Other dioceses in the region did the same, too.
All domestic flights in and out of the Iloilo Airport were suspended until further notice.
* The President on March 17 signed Proclamation No. 929, declaring a state of calamity in the entire country for a period of six months “unless earlier lifted or extended as circumstances may warrant.”
* March 20, 2020 – Western Visayas had its first confirmed case of COVID-19 – a male resident of Bacolod City with a travel history to London. The patient was a 56-year-old male. The next day, March 21, the region recordeds its second case – and Iloilo province’s first case – a 65-year-old male from Guimbal, Iloilo who had exposure to relatives who had a history of travel to Japan and Canada.
* March 21, 2020 – Region 6 recorded its first COVID-19 death – a 72-year-old man from Mandurriao, Iloilo City who was a person under investigation at the time of his death. The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine released his positive test results only on March 27.
* March 23, 2020 – Western Visayas Medical Center’s COVID-19 testing laboratory started operating.
* March 24, 2020 — Two more COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Region 6 – a 61-year-old female (Iloilo City’s first case) and a 45-year-old male from Jamindan, Capiz.
On this day, too, Vallacar Transit, Inc. temporarily stopped the operation of its Ceres buses throughout Panay Island. However, it has made available Ceres buses in Iloilo City to serve people working in frontline or essential services such as healthcare, pharmacies, grocery stores and others that the city government exempted.
* The President on March 25 also signed the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act. Financial aid would be given to health workers who contracted the disease. Some 18 million low-income households would receive emergency subsidies amounting to P5,000 to P8,000 for two months.
APRIL
* April 3, 2020 – The government decided to make it mandatory to wear masks in public areas.
* April 6, 2020 – Panay News, the No. 1 regional newspaper, released its 39th Anniversary Issue (a day ahead of the actual April 7 anniversary date) with special focus on COVID-19 frontliners.
* April 7, 2020 – Antique recorded its first COVID-19 case – a 74-year-old man from Parañaque City who arrived in Barangay Semirara, Semirara Island in Caluya on March 9 on board a private plane.
* April 28 and onwards – The national government placed various provinces and cities in Western Visayas under varying degrees of community quarantine (enhanced, modified, general).
MAY
* May 14, 2020 — The Ceres buses of Vallacar Transit, Inc. (VTI) announced it would resume operation on May 18 in Negros Occ.
* May 19, 2020 – Churches under the Archdiocese of Jaro would be “gradually opening the Sacred Celebrations to the public,” according to Archbishop Jose Romeo Lazo. He urged the faithful to “continue the effort to responsibly participate in this transition period.”
JUNE
* June 28, 2020 – St. Paul’s Hospital of Iloilo went on lockdown after six of its doctors contracted COVID-19.
JULY
* July 2, 2020 – A two-month-old baby boy in Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental became Western Visayas’ youngest person at that time to contract COVID-19.
* July 5, 2020 – Negros Occidental recorded its first case of local COVID-19 transmission – a 47-year-old ambulance driver of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office.
* July 22, 2020 – Border restrictions in Iloilo City, Iloilo province and Bacolod City were lifted
AUGUST
* Aug. 2, 2020 — The Iloilo Fish Port Complex, a major center of fish trading and marine products processing in Region 6, started a 72-hour lockdown.
* Aug. 3, 2020 – A seven-year-old girl in Barangay Patlad, Dumangas, Iloilo became the youngest resident of Western Visayas at that time to succumb to COVID-19.
* Aug. 15, 2020 — The use of face shield became mandatory inside public transportation nationwide.
* Aug. 26, 2020 – A 105-year-old man in Maasin, Iloilo became the oldest patient in Western Visayas to succumb to COVID-19 while being treated at the West Visayas State University Medical Center in Iloilo City.
* Aug. 30, 2020 – Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon of Iloilo City tested positive for COVID-19, the first city official in the metro to contract the disease. He would eventually recover.
SEPTEMBER
* Sept. 18, 2020 – Malacañang ordered the closure of all cemeteries from Oct. 29 to Nov. 4.
Through Proclamation No. 1021, it also extended the state of calamity for a period of one year.
* Sept. 22, 2020 – Guimaras recorded its first COVID-19 death – a 68-year-old woman from Barangay Rizal in Jordan town. The patient, a known diabetic, hypertensive and asthmatic, passed away while being treated at the Dr. Catalino Gallego Nava Provincial Hospital.
OCTOBER
* Oct. 1, 2020 – Boracay Island started gradually opening to domestic tourists, first from Western Visayas only then later from areas outside Region 6 that are under general community quarantine.
* Oct. 5, 2020 – Classes resumed but under blended learning – modules and online. No face-to-face classes allowed.
* Oct. 6, 2020 – Businesses in Iloilo City were allowed to operate on full capacity.
* Oct. 19, 2020 – Mayor Treñas of Iloilo City eased air travel restrictions to and from the metro “subject to the health protocols.” All airline companies were informed that travel of persons bound for Iloilo City would be allowed, regardless of purpose, whether traveling as APOR (Authorized Persons Outside Residence) or non-APOR, and with no restrictions as to passenger capacity.
* Bacolod City cancelled MassKara Festival usually held on the last week of October.
NOVEMBER
* Nov. 18, 2020 – Bacolod City’s Mayor Evelio Leonardia announced he signed City Ordinance No. 944 requiring residents to wear face shields in public places.
* Nov. 22, 2020 – The newly-opened Uswag Iloilo City Molecular Laboratory at the Alternative Learning System building in Molo, Iloilo City started processing swab samples. The facility can process up to 400 specimens a day. Releasing of results is expected in two days.
DECEMBER
* On the first week of December 2020, Iloilo’s Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. announced there would be no Christmas parties for all offices and departments of the provincial government.
* On Dec. 16-24, 2020 the traditional simbang gabi in various Catholic churches were held but with strict observance of health protocols (wearing of facemask and face shield, and physical distancing).
JANUARY 2021
* Iloilo City (Jan. 5), Iloilo province and other local governments have announced signing deals with British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca for the procurement of vaccines. Frontliners would be the first to be vaccinated, they stressed
* The national government also said that the country has secured vaccines from AstraZeneca, Sinovac and the COVAX Facility of the World Health Organization.
* On Jan. 24, 2021 Iloilo City staged a “virtual Dinagyang Festival” as a safe way to celebrate the annual celebration.
FEBRUARY 2021
* On Feb. 2, there was no annual plaza carnival as Jaro district of Iloilo City marked its religious fiesta. There were only masses that enforced strict health safety protocols. The Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral scrapped the religious procession.
* Iloilo city’s and province’s respective COVID-19 vaccination plans were approved by DOH.
* Iloilo City approves reopening of cinemas.
* Local governments launched education campaigns on vaccination to allay public fears.
* Mock vaccinations conducted in various parts of the region.
MARCH 2021
* Vaccines (Sinovac and AstraZeneca) have arrived.
* Vaccination of healthcare workers started./PN
