More barangays in Manila will be under lockdown due to COVID-19 starting Wednesday.
A total of 16 barangays were included in the list of critical areas that recorded more than ten cases of COVID-19. This is in addition to the current lockdown in other barangays that started yesterday.
The barangay lockdown has been going on for four days so the residents are already storing their necessities such as food and medicine.
Only health care workers, essential workers, and government employees escaped the lockdown.
In Barangay 50, a QR code system is being prepared for authorized persons outside of authority to speed up identification in order to enter and exit the barangay.
Although some barangays said they are tired and tired of implementing the lockdown, officials understand that it is necessary to speed up contact tracing in their area. They are also asking for the cooperation of the residents especially since there are still some quarantine violators who are not allowed to leave the house.
Additional 16 barangays in Manila will be subjected to lockdown
Tondo Hospital, on the other hand, announced that it will not accept face-to-face consultation due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in the hospital. Those who want to consult, even those who already have a doctor’s schedule, can call the Oston Telemedicine hotline first.
The emergency room of Gat Andres Bonifacio Medical Center will be closed until 8 a.m. this Tuesday to allow for terminal cleaning and disinfection due to the suspected case of meningococcemia at the said hospital.
Meanwhile, more than 200 of the nearly 500 COVID-19 variant cases in the Philippines are in the National Capital Region (NCR), and all cities in the region have already recorded it, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday.
“Talagang nakita na natin itong mga variants nasa lahat na ng cities dito sa atin sa Metro Manila… Meron na tayo either the UK variant or the South African variant,” said DOH spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire.
The UK and South African COVID-19 variants are both said to be more contagious and may cause more infections.
The DOH has not yet released a detailed record of how many variant cases are in each city in NCR.