FOUR days after placing six areas under lockdown, the Cebu City Government said it has recommended the lifting of the stringent quarantine restrictions in Abellanosa Compound in Barangay Quiot.
The compound, not Sitio San Isidro as announced by the Cebu City Hall earlier Wednesday, July 29, 2020, was recommended for reopening, Quiot Barangay Captain Francis Espares clarified.
Espares said he made the recommendation in a letter to Mayor Edgardo Labella after the resident who was diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) recovered.
All six other residents of the compound have also tested negative for Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, based on the report by the Barangay Health Emergency Response Team (BHERT).
The Abellanosa Compound, situated in Sitio Kalubihan, along with Sitio San Isidro in Barangay Quiot as well as four other areas were placed on lockdown for three to 14 days beginning July 25.
Sitio San Isidro in Quiot, Sitio Eyha in Barangay Guadalupe, Balaga Drive to Sitio Cekalco in Barangay Labangon, Tuada Compound in Barangay Tisa, and C. Mina Ext. in Barangay Mabolo remain on lockdown.
Espares said the 11 individuals in Sitio San Isidro who were tested for the virus were still awaiting the results as of Wednesday.
In a virtual press conference Wednesday, City Attorney Rey Gealon said the City Government has endorsed Espares’ recommendation to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
He said they will wait for IATF’s decision before lifting the lockdown on Abellanosa Compound.
Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera, deputy chief implementer for the IATF emergency operations center (EOC) Cebu City, assured that they will forward the request of Espares to the Regional IATF.
“It’s really the City with the barangays, Philippine National Police (PNP), City Health and EOC findings and recommendations that will really be the basis for (the decision of the) Regional IATF,” said Garganera in a text message to SunStar Cebu.
Gealon said the recommendation was based on the data gathered by the Department of Health (DOH), Cebu City Health Department (CHD), and PNP personnel.
He said the same process will be followed for other five areas currently on lockdown.
Contact tracing is ongoing in other barangays that are not on lockdown.
Should Covid-19 cases rise in an area, Gealon said the same process of implementation of a granular lockdown will be followed.
Local government units, with concurrence by the Regional IATF, may implement place a street, community, sitio or barangay with a high number of Covid-19 cases under lockdown to prevent further transmission of the virus. (JJL)