THE Iloilo City Government will be requesting the National Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to downgrade its enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) status, citing its own initiatives in place to control Covid-19.
“On behalf of the city, I will again make my appeal to the IATF to lower our quarantine classification. We are doing very well in contact tracing; we have the highest RT-PCR tests in the region; we place on lockdown houses where there are many positive cases; we have a lot of quarantine facilities for positive patients,” Mayor Jerry P. Treñas stressed.
The metropolis’ daily cases have been decreasing to less than a hundred average.
However, healthcare facilities based in the city are getting full because of patients from all over Panay Island.
"While the cases of Iloilo City are starting to go down, the parameters being looked upon by the IATF are still high. Our Covid beds and ICU (intensive care unit) beds utilization rates are still high since patients coming from Antique, Aklan, Capiz, Iloilo Province and Guimaras are being brought to our hospitals for treatment. Cases continue to go up in these provinces,” Treñas explained.
Food packs and proposed cash aid from the national government fall short to cushion the economic impacts of restrictions as breadwinners need to work to bring home food to their tables, provide for basic needs and pay bills.
“We need for the national IATF to understand that we are a regional center. If the city is on lockdown again, so many are out of jobs. The P1,000 per person that will be given by the government through the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) will help, but unfortunately, it will not be enough. Many are already complaining to me that they are hungry and they can no longer feed their families,” Treñas stressed.
“I will appeal for a lower quarantine classification, but my beloved Ilonggos, it is the national IATF that will finally decide. Let us pray to God that He will not leave us in these most difficult times. Bátò Iloilo!" said Treñas. <(PR)