THE municipality of Cateel in Davao Oriental has been placed under total lockdown due to the increasing number of active Covid-19 cases in the town.
The Provincial Government of Davao Oriental posted the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF) Resolution 17, Series of 2020 dated November 26, wherein the Provincial Task Force (PTF) Covid-19 was tasked to "strictly adhere to the implementation of the zoning containment strategy."
These measures include the strict lockdown of the area in the line with the zoning containment strategy, strict enforcement of the minimum health standards, intensified contact tracing, quarantine of close contacts and isolation of confirmed cases.
The local government also said "travels in and out of the municipality are prohibited unless emergency or essential."
In addition, "mass gatherings are also strictly prohibited."
The Provincial Government, meanwhile, urged the public's cooperation.
It also said that under Section 9 of Republic Act 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act, "non-cooperation to the guidelines relating to public health is punishable by law."
A week ago, the Cateel municipality started imposing intensified restrictions on the movements of its residents due to the sudden spike of Covid-19 cases.
Reden Bersaldo, action officer of the Davao Oriental Provincial Task Force on Covid-19, said in a virtual presser that this strategy was imposed to contain the local transmission in the area.
He said the entire Davao Oriental currently has a total of 38 active cases, wherein 50 percent or 19 cases are from Cateel.
Bersaldo said there is a need to immediately impose a lockdown in the municipality, particularly in a certain barangay that contributed to the highest number of cases, with seven.
"Importante nga buhaton ang maong lockdown para ma-facilitate or mapahigayon nato ang contact tracing sa tanang positibo sa maong munisipyo (There is a need to impose a lockdown to facilitate or conduct contact tracing to all positive individuals in the municipality)," Bersaldo said in a virtual presser on Wednesday, December 2.
He added that it would result in a spike of cases if they would not immediately impose the lockdown.
Based on the latest classification of the IATF-EID, the entire Davao Oriental is still under modified general community quarantine until December 31, 2020.
As of December 1, the province has a total Covid-19 case of 449, while active cases are at 41. Recoveries are now at 403 and five have died.