TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Barangay officials, health authorities and concerned sectors in the city recommended to the city inter-agency task force for the management of infectious diseases to declare the city under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) starting this weekend to contain the continuous surge in the number of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases that could compromise the city’s health care system and street the frontliners.
The clamor for the implementation of more stringent community quarantine guidelines in the city came after the sudden surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the city that had been traced to residents who travelled outside the city to attend gatherings in identified high risk areas and came back passing through the backdoor and without undergoing the required triaging from the city’s central triage facility.
Mayor Darwin C. Estrañero reported that from the previous average of 10 cases in the city daily, there was a drastic increase to more than 30 confirmed COVID cases daily over the past several days causing alarm among the concerned sectors that proposed for the city to be declared under ECQ to contain the spread of the virus.
Further, he added that the number of individuals being contact traced because of the surge in cases also increased to 200 to 300 persons daily which could stress the frontliners in the coming days if the number of cases continue to increase.
However, the city chief executive claimed that once the city will be placed under ECQ, it will be subjected to a daily evaluation to ascertain the effectivity of restricting the movement of people which could be lifted before the lapse of the proposed 14-day ECQ if the situation will permit.
Based on the results of recent contact tracing, he disclosed that the recent confirmed cases in the city had history of travel to identified high risk areas, like Baguio City, to attend gatherings in the said places and came back to the city through the backdoor without undergoing the required triaging.
He stipulated that the said travellers eventually infected the members of their families and other close contacts that caused the recent surge in the number of cases in the city causing the possibility of the city being identified as a potential high risk areas in the coming weeks.
According to him, the residents should understand that the re-imposition of the restrictions is primarily intended for their health and safety of everyone from the deadly virus so that they can continue their economic activities and be productive in their present employment.
Mayor Estrañero appealed to residents to continue adhering to the ongoing enforcement of the basic health and safety protocols, such as the wearing of face masks and shields, the observance of physical distancing and the practice of personal hygiene, as well as keeping their immune system strong so that they will not contract the virus.
He emphasized that the health and safety of the residents are the primary concerns of the city government thus efforts are geared towards ensuring their protection from the virus. By HENT
