QC gov’t places some areas under special concern lockdown

Certain areas in barangays Bahay Toro, Culiat, Sauyo, Batasan Hills, and Tatalon are under special concern lockdown.

As of May 11,  Bahay Toro has 21 active cases; Culiat, 37 active cases; Sauyo, 19 active cases; Batasan Hills, 29 active cases; and Tatalon has 17 active cases.

City assistant administrator for operations Alberto Kimpo said the areas were initially selected by the City Health Department (CHD) based on the results of community-based testing by the CHD, through its 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 (Instead of having a total lockdown in the barangay, we will concentrate on certain areas that have clustering of Covid-19 cases such as a street, block or compound),” Kimpo said.

“Isa rin sa titingnan natin ay ang high-density population na hindi nakakapagpractice ng tamang quarantine protocols, kung saan malaki ang posibilidad na magkahawaan, kaya kailangan din sila isama sa containment (We are also looking at the high-density population that does not practice proper quarantine protocols wherein there is a high possibility of infecting others in their community),” he added.

Kimpo assured residents of affected areas that the city government will provide food and other assistance.

QC-ESU head Dr. Rolly Cruz said they will conduct intensified testing and monitoring in these areas to make sure they are Covid-19 free after the quarantine period ends.

Quarantine officers from the newly formed “QC Laban Covid-19” team will help the QC-ESU perform its job by ensuring the strict enforcement of quarantine rules.

The team is composed of members from the CHD, the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), Special Action Force (SAF), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Joint Task Force-National Capital Region (JTF-NCR), under Brig. Gen. Alex Luna.

The ESU will be accompanied by two personnel from the QCPD and three from the AFP, including one regular officer and two reservists.

“More than 200 members of the QCPD-AFP-SAF contingent will undergo training on the process of implementing quarantine rules and monitoring of confirmed and possible Covid-19 cases,” Cruz said.

Aside from ensuring strict implementation of quarantine processes, the quarantine officers are also mandated to conduct information dissemination on how to combat the spread of Covid-19 in the community.

Mayor Joy Belmonte reiterated her appeal to citizens in affected areas to fully cooperate in the local government’s effort to combat Covid-19.

“Kailangan namin ang tulong ng lahat para mapigilan ang pagkalat ng virus na ito. Inaasahan namin ang inyong buong kooperasyon para mapagtagumpayan ang laban kontra Covid-19 (We need the cooperation of everybody to prevent the spread of the virus),” Belmonte said. (PR)