ILOILO – The enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in this province is scheduled to end on April 30. Will there be an extension?
Today, Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. is meeting with Region 6’s Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 and tomorrow with the municipal mayors to discuss “what type of quarantine and virus containment procedures to implement” post-ECQ.
Some ECQ features may be retained such as social distancing, the wearing of facemask in public and the prohibition on mass gatherings, according to Defensor.
“We are looking for bases and there are considerations we have to study,” he added, such as the ECQ’s impact on the economy.
Defensor said he had asked for data on, among others, the number of distressed workers or those adversely affected by the closure of businesses and other establishments.
He also wanted to know the ECQ’s effect on the agriculture sector, and how much local government units have so far spent for their COVID-19 response.
Defensor also wanted to see the trend or rate of COVID-19 infection or transmission in Iloilo.
“That is the best way to understand the behavior of the virus,” he said.
As of April 21, the province had 18 confirmed COVID-19 cases. These were the following:
* 94-year-old male from Miag-ao (region’s Patient No. 31)
* 70-year-old male from Lambunao (region’s Patient No. 16)
* 58-year-old male from Guimbal (region’s Patient No. 22)
* 59-year-old female from Barotac Nuevo (region’s Patient No. 10)
* 51-year-old female from Guimbal (region’s Patient No. 18), recovered
* 65-year-old male from Guimbal (region’s Patient No. 2), recovered
* 22-year-old female from Miag-ao (region’s Patient No. 12), recovered
* 39-year-old female from Lambunao (region’s Patient No. 27)
* 41-year-old male from Lambunao (region’s Patient No. 28)
* 70-year-old female from Lambunao (region’s Patient No. 29)
* 48-year-old female from Lambunao (region’s Patient No. 30)
* 44-year-old female from Lambunao (region’s Patient No. 25)
* 25-year-old female from Barotac Nuevo (region’s Patient No. 36)
* 50-year-old male from Pavia (region’s Patient No. 37)
* 52-year-old female from Pavia (region’s Patient No. 38)
* 21-year-old male from Miag-ao (region’s Patient No. 42)
* 24-year-old male from Tigbauan (region’s Patient No. 46)
* 26-year-old male from Tigbauan (region’s Patient No. 47. (With a report from LHC, Capitol News)
Defensor’s counterpart in Iloilo City, Mayor Jerry Treñas, said on Monday he hoped to start gradually easing quarantine measures by May 1.
He welcomed the inputs of professors from the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV).
“This situation is new to us all. We have no experience in this regard so we need all the help we can get from the experts,” said Treñas.
The mayor created an ad-hoc committee to formulate and prescribe policies for the gradual lifting of the enhanced community quarantine. He forwarded to the committee the UPV professors’ proposed lockdown exit strategy.
Treñas said there would still be restrictions on public transport, school classes and religious gatherings, among others while quarantine rules and regulations are lifted in stages or phases.
The UPV lockdown exit plan was prepared by professors Maria Elisa Baliao, Rhodella Ibabao, Hanny John Mediodia, Cristabel Parcon, Juhn Cris Espia, and Vicente Balinas.
“Iloilo City should consider prepping for a phased reopening, and scaling back of the local government unit’s (LGU) support for the economy. The phased reopening is a strategy that will protect the people from the (corona)virus while allowing life to progressively return to normal, albeit a new normal,” according to the professors./PN
