ILOILO – Around 112 homes in Concepcion town were locked down on May 18. At least 20 residents in Barangay Poblacion tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Mayor Raul Banias earlier issued an executive order “placing 44 houses in Sitio Punta Luis and three houses in Purok Gumamela, all in Barangay Poblacion, and 59 houses in the NHA Resettlement Village, five houses in SM Cares Village and a house in Assumpta GK Village, all in Barangay Bacjawan Sur, under Granular Lockdown.”
On Saturday, May 15, the Municipal Health Office was informed that a pregnant woman was found positive for COVID-19.
An investigation by the medical team, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and contact tracers revealed that eight out of her 14 first generation contacts were found positive for the virus.
However, Banias yesterday lifted the lockdown of 66 houses in NHA Bacjawan Sur, SM Cares and GK Assumpta and three houses in Purok Gumamela, Barangay Poblacion.
“All close contacts in the area tested negative in reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests,” Banias said.
The EO shall now cover the remaining 43 households.
Banias’ EO includes the following directives:
* Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) responders must provide family food packs to all affected households with all barangay health emergency response teams (BHERTs) monitoring the household members and barangay tanods and volunteers manning the checkpoints.
* The police under Police Major Ronnie Brillo, officer-in-charge chief, shall enforce the lockdown and to supervise the barangay tanods and barangay officials in the checkpoints.
* Medical team to conduct active case detection by swabbing all contacts for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing.
* The General Services Office (GSO) to perform decontamination of houses or building determined by the medical team.
* Directing the barangay officials, barangay tanods and BHERTs of Barangay Poblacion and isolation and Barangay Bacjawan Sur and the PNP to strictly monitor compliance to the lockdown and home isolation.
“We are doing everything to contain this. We need the cooperation of everybody. Strict COVID health protocols should be followed, mask wearing even indoors should be followed,” Banias said./PN
