DILG wants more ‘aggressive’ local lockdowns in NCR

FILE: Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año at DILG office in Quezon City on Friday (August 9, 2019). (PNA photo by Joey O. Razon)

MANILA – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday cited the need for a more proactive implementation of localized lockdowns in Metro Manila amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“Ang point sana natin dito, kahit isang case pa lang i-lockdown mo na kaagad at kailangan mailabas kaagad natin dito at ma-test ‘yung mga kasama niya (Our point here is if even we only have one case, let’s implement a lockdown immediately and we need to pull them out and test the people whom they had contact with). I mean, mailabas para mailagay sa mga isolation facilities natin (so that we can get them and they will be put in our isolation facilities),” DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said in a radio interview.

Año, also vice-chairman of the National Task Force for Covid-19, said he raised this matter in his meeting with Metro Manila mayors, officials of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and some members of Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) as part of measures to contain the spread of disease while gradually reopening the economy.

“Gusto sana natin ngayon mabilisang (What we want now is a faster implementation of) localized lockdown, whether it is a community, neighborhood, a street or a building or one household or one barangay (village). Para makapagbukas tayo ng kabuhayan at makapagtrabaho yung mga kababayan natin pero kailangan talaga dito mabilis na aksyon (So that we would be able to eventually reopen jobs and offices and our kababayans will be able to return to work. We need to act fast),” he added.

He also encouraged those who have a suspicion of being in contact with a possible Covid-19 patient to come forward and subject themselves to testing.

“Don’t wait for you to be traced. Come forward because we have enough testing kits and expenses for that would be shouldered by PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corp.) if you are a member,” he added.

Meanwhile, Año said the possibility of Cebu City being placed under a modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) or general community quarantine (GCQ) depends on the data analytics of the Covid-19 cases in the city.

“We will see after July 15 but there is a big possibility that their quarantine category will be downgraded. It will depend on our data analytics but we have seen a remarkable change in Cebu City. Maybe we will put much of our attention and resources there,” he said in Filipino.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier sent Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu to lead the government’s efforts in curbing the spread of Covid-19 cases in Cebu City, which is now the epicenter of the disease in the country.

As of Wednesday, Covid-19 cases in the country has reached 50,359 as the Department of Health reported 2,539 new infections.