20 areas in Quezon City placed under 14-day ‘special concern lockdown’

The Quezon City government imposed a 14-day ”special concern lockdown” to 20 locations in five barangays in the city from 5 am today until May 26 due to the high number of COVID-19 cases.

The 20 areas from the five villages under the “special concern lockdown” are Brgys. Bahay Toro, Culiat, Sauyo, Batasan Hills, and Tatalon.

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According to Assistant City Administrator for Operations Alberto Kimpo, the locations were initially selected by the City Health Department (CHD) based on community-based testing conducted by the CHD Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (ESU).

“Imbis na mag-total lockdown ng buong barangay, pagtutuunan natin ng pansin ang mga partikular na lugar sa loob ng barangay na may clustering ng mga kaso ng COVID-19, maaaring ito ay isang kalsada, block, o compound, isa rin sa titingnan natin ay ang high-density population na hindi nakaka­pagpractice ng tamang qua-rantine protocols, kung saan malaki ang posibilidad na magkahawaan, kaya kailangan din sila isama sa containment. Mula doon, higit nating paiig­tingin ang community-based testing at pag-quarantine,” said Kimpo.

(Instead of placing an entire barangay under a total lockdown, let’s focus on specific areas within the village with clustering of COVID-19 cases. This could be a road, block, or compound. We are also looking at a high-density population that is unable to maintain proper quarantine protocols, which have a high likelihood of transmission, so they must also be included in containment. From there, we will intensify community-based testing and quarantine.)

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Kimpo assured that the residents of these villages are provided with food and other necessities.

In this regard, QC Mayor Joy Belmonte called on residents living in affected areas to cooperate with local government measures to combat COVID-19.

Also read: Coronavirus, like HIV ‘may never go away’-WHO

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Quezon City has one of the highest numbers of cases in the Philippines, with a total of  1,680, 143 deaths, and 442 recoveries. 

The government announced Tuesday a modified enhanced community quarantine would be imposed in Metro Manila, Laguna province, and Cebu City from May 16 to May 31. 

As of May 13, Metro Manila recorded 7,464 cases, 558 fatalities, and 1,591 recoveries.

Cebu City meanwhile reported 42 new cases, bringing the total to 1, 531. It has a total of 15 fatalities and 24 recoveries. 

In Laguna province, 392 were infected while 11 died, and 50 have recovered from the respiratory disease.