Abra now under MECQ to join NCR Plus

April 17, 2021 Provincial

Even if Abra has the lowest incidence of Covid-19 in the Cordillera Administrative Region, it was still declared under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) and join the National Capital Region Plus under the same status starting April 12 until the end of the month.
“MECQ na tayo (We are under MECQ)… prepare your white pass… tulong tulong tayo please (let us help one another),” Gov. Ma. Jocelyn Bernos wrote on her Facebook wall Monday as she earlier adopted more stringent measure to stop the spread of the coronavirus in the province.
“Maipakat ti MECQ ditoy Abra manipud April 12 – 30, 2021 basar ti IATF [Inter- Agency Task Force] No. 109-A (MECQ will be implemented here in Abra from April 12-30, 2021 based on IATF No. 109-A),” it was announced on the Abra Province Facebook page Monday, April 12.
The province thus joins the NCR and the provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, Cavite as well as the city of Santiago and Quirino under that status. The LGUs of NCR Plus actually were downgraded from ECQ from April 1 until 11.
“Karaman met iti GCQ areas ti dadduma pay a pribinsia ti CAR, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Batangas, Tacloban, Iligan, Davao City. Lanao del Sur ken Quezon idinto dagiti dadduma a lugar ditoy pagilian ket maipatungpal met ti [Modified] MGCQ (Included in the GCQ areas are the rest of the CAR provinces, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Batangas, Tacloban, Iligan, Davao City, Lanao dle Sur and Quezon, while the rest of the country will be under MGCQ),” the same wall added.
This as Abra recorded 19 more new cases on Sunday bringing its total confirmed cases to 422, the smallest in the Cordillera. Six of the cases came from Malibcong with Bangued having five, the rest come from Penarubia (40, Bucay (2) and one each from Danglas and Pidigan.
On Sunday, the Provincial Health Office – Abra announced that persons positive of Covid 19 can now stay at home with help from trained medical practitioners. According to Pediatric Infectious Disease expert Anna Lisa Ong –Lim, the World Health Organization allows home care if the patient is below 60 years old, has no symptoms like fever, cough, colds and difficulty of breathing, has no comorbidities like heart disease, kidney, diabetes, chronic lung disease and others.
She added that the house must have a separate bed room with its own comfort room/bath, it has window and a door and good ventilation.
The patient must only stay in the room with its door closed, food and other needs are left only at the door of the patient, kitchen and food utensils must be separated, regular disinfection of said utensils, face masks to be worn by family members at all times and maintain cleanliness in the whole house.
She added that a patient is expected to recover within 10 days with home care. Earlier, Bernos has ordered a liquor ban in the province which includes consumption and selling as gleaned from her Facebook wall.
She also tries to limit gatherings and limiting only to 10 including family and religious rites. Dine in at restaurants have been prohibited unless the owner has an outdoor facility or that the restaurant is well ventilated.
Pigeon Lobien/ABN