MANILA - The local government of Tuguegarao City on Wednesday implemented a 10-day modified enhanced community quarantine to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Mayor Jefferson Soriano said.
“Ginawa namin ang desisyon na ito after due consultation with our different leaders dahil po for 41 days COVID-free ang Tuguegarao and then immediately nag-spike po ang number ng COVID cases to 26 as of this report,” Soriano said in an interview on ABS-CBN Teleradyo.
Of the 26 active cases, 9 came from their police station.
“Kaya nakalockdown ang police station namin ngayon,” he said.
The city’s MECQ status will end on September 4.
“We want to arrest the spread of the virus kaya yun lang ang naisip naming paraan. That’s the only way we can stop the spread of the virus. We were fortunate na na-approve ng regional IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) na mag MECQ kami for 10 days” he said.
Soriano shared that the virus first spread during a barangay fiesta.
“Nag-umpisa sa isang house talagang super spreader,” he said. He said the barangay is now under an enhanced community lockdown where residents are not permitted to go in or out of the village.
He said they also issued COVID Shield control pass to vendors, frontliners, employees and residents to limit the number of people going out.
“Doon sa residents, nag issue kami ng 5,000 control passes, idinistribute namin sa different barangays. You cannot get out of your barangay if you do not have the ID,” he said.
Public transportation is also suspended under MECQ. But Soriano said motorcycle backriding will be allowed provided that the driver and the backrider live in the same household. A certification can be obtained from the barangay, he said. It will also be the same document which they would show authorities.
Dine-in services in restaurants are suspended but food delivery operations are allowed on a 24/7 basis.
Meanwhile, the city will implement new curfew hours, from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. Residents 21 years old and below, and 60 years and above are not also allowed to go out unless necessary.
The city will also temporarily ban returning residents or locally stranded individuals.
Tuguegarao lockdown status, Tuguegarao MECQ, Mayor Jefferson Soriano, Tuguegarao coronavirus updates, Teleradyo, Kwentuhang Lokal