BARANGAYS in Cebu City that do not have any recorded coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases have common denominators -- the continuous execution of information drives and the strict implementation of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) guidelines.
Cebu City has 80 barangays with 58 that remain to be Covid-free, as of Friday, May 1, 2020.
Out of the 80 barangays, Barangays Luz and Labangon logged the highest number of Covid-19 cases.
As of Thursday, Cebu City now has more than 500 Covid-19 patients.
Barangay Tisa, a neighboring barangay of Labangon and Guadalupe, implemented stricter border control to keep non-residents from entering the village, said Barangay Captain Ringo Pacaña.
Pacaña said some barangay officials have been visiting sitios to educate residents through the use of megaphones.
With the help of former barangay captain now city councilor, Phillip Zafra, who has been posting on his Facebook account ECQ violators, Pacaña said not only were they able to call out the attention of the violators but they were also able to disseminate information regarding executive orders and the current Covid-19 situation.
Tisa has also implemented its own clustering where residents of sitios are only allowed to go out at a certain date, said Pacaña.
“If it’s not the schedule of the sitio, the store will not entertain the customer,” he said.
Tisa has 76 sitios with around 50,000 residents.
Every sitio in Tisa has restricted individuals who can enter its jurisdiction, said Pacaña.
Tisa also has a program where households can request for a delivery of their needs. Residents only need to list the items down and barangay volunteers can purchase the items for them, he said.
Tisa currently has two persons under monitoring, who will be tested on May 1.
In Mabolo, Barangay Captain Frank Gajudo said they strictly call the attention of violators as their way of making sure violators would no longer break the rules again.
“Sitahon gyud ang magpabadlong (we really reprimand violators),” said Gajudo.
He said the borders facing its neighbor, Barangay Luz, have been strictly monitored.
A disinfection operation is also conducted on a regular basis, Gajudo said.
In San Antonio, Barangay Captain Daido Stephen Abcede has implemented the "one entry, one exit point" in his barangay to monitor the movements of people going in and outside of the jurisdiction.
Abcede said keeping people aware of the situation is also one of the most important contributors of maintaining their barangay Covid-19-free.
During evenings, officials rove around the streets to educate its residents.
“We also do daily roving every night to educate the residents... and constant information dissemination together with (Police) Station 1, BPSO, Lupon, Barangay staff and Council,” said Abcede.
While there are now 22 barangays who have recorded Covid-19 cases, the remaining 58 barangays are hard at work to prevent the virus from entering their jurisdiction.
Cebu City has around one million residents. (JJL)