BAGUIO CITY April 14 – Regional health authorities that four Cordillera provinces remain free from the dreaded Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) after over 30 days since the implementation of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine because of the practice of the existing indigenous rituals and best practices that were far more superior compared to other local governments that continue to register COVID-19 cases to date.
DOH-CAR Regional Director Dr. Amelita M. Pangilinan said that the provinces of Apayao, Ifugao, Mountain Province and Kalinga, including the component City of Tabuk, were able to strictly implement measures that prevented possible COVID-19 carriers right at the checkpoints in their borders with the Cagayan and Ilocos regions which registered increasing number of COVID-19 cases over the past several weeks.
She claimed that what was common among the provinces that recorded zero COVID-19 cases despite the extended Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine,that prevented residents and tourists from going in and out of the said provinces and thwarted possible COVID-19 carriers from spreading the contagious virus in the said places.
The DOH-CAR official revealed that the provinces with zero COVID-19 cases were also able to restrict the movement of people in their communities that served as a preventive measure in preventing the potential spread of the virus pursuant on the standing policy for people to stay inside their homes when they do not have something to do important outside their houses.
Apayao is bordered by Ilocos Norte in Region I and Cagayan in Region II, Ifugao is bounded by Nueva Vizcaya and Isabela, while Kalinga is bordered by Isabela and Cagayan and Mountain Province is bounded by Ilocos Sur and Cagayan.
Based on the latest data obtained from the DOH-CAR, the COVID-19 affected areas in the region are Baguio City which accounted for most of the cases with 15 and Benguet and Abra that accounted for 3 cases each.
Of the 15 cases in Baguio, 12 were already discharged from confinement, 2 are still in the hospital while there was 1 death with co-morbidity symptoms; all of the 3 cases in Benguet were declared to have been recovered and 2 cases in Abra are still in stable condition in health facilities and that 1 already recovered from the illness.
In Mountain Province, indigenous peoples performed rituals that will compel people to stay at home which is considered as a tribal version of lockdown that contributed in the overall efforts of the province to comply with the policy in mandating people to stay at home and that those who will violate the same will be imposed stiff fines depending on the tribes that range from rendering community service and providing for a native animal for the community.
Provincial officials of the said provinces are keeping their fingers crossed that there will be no untoward incident that will happen in the remaining days of the quarantine period so that the same will not ruin their gains in making their local governments COVID-19 free unlike in other areas that have registered numerous cases but are being highlighted by the national government which is somewhat unfair on their part because their efforts to free their places from the highly contagious virus is being sidelined and not being given enough recognition by the national inter-agency task force on the management of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
By HENT
