ILOILO City – No lockdown. Only advisories for repatriates to strictly follow safety health protocols this holiday season.
This was the clarification of Mayor Jerry Treñas when word circulated that a lockdown would be enforced in the metropolis beginning Dec. 20 or anytime this month.
“The city government has no plan of going on lockdown during the holidays,” Treñas clarified over the weekend.
The city government, he said, will only require people from Manila to take the test for possible coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection.
Since Dec. 1, the city recorded 12 confirmed cases of the viral disease among returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs).
These cases were initially found negative in Manila but when they reached the city, their second round of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction tests yielded positive results.
“There are some sectors questioning our protocols. If there are more issues and questions, we will study all alternatives including a lockdown during the holidays just to ensure everyone is safe,” said Treñas.
Since the enforcement of community quarantine in March, the city had a total of 4,577 confirmed cases, which also included 167 active cases and 144 deaths.
In a related development, Treñas disclosed that he is currently negotiating with the national government’s vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. to give Iloilo City access to vaccines from pharmaceuticals accredited by the Food and Drug Administration.
“We hope to have vaccines for frontliners and employees of Iloilo City. I will be meeting with different business groups in the city for them to also access vaccines for their employees. Let us work together to ensure that the city returns to normal at the earliest possible time,” said Treñas./PN
