Entire Luzon in lockdown

March 22, 2020 Community Billboard

After placing Metro Manila in an earlier enhanced community quarantine, President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night expanded it into the entire island of Luzon until April 12 in a bid to stop the further spread of coronavirus infections amidst increasing number of PUMs, PUIs and confirmed cases of COVID-19 and suspected local transmissions of the disease.
According to DILG Secretary Eduardo Año, the enhanced community quarantine being implemented in the whole of Luzon means a total lockdown and only health workers, bank employees, food stores, those in communications are exempted.
Under the tougher quarantine, the government mandates strict home confinement in all households, suspension of transportation lines, regulation of provision for food and essential health services, and heightened presence of uniformed personnel to enforce isolation procedures.
This is stricter than the general community quarantine which only limits the movement of people to accessing basic necessities and work, and the presence of uniformed personnel and quarantine officers. Mass gatherings during the enhanced community quarantine period remain prohibited.
Provinces of Region 1 responds to the threat On Sunday (March 15), La Union Governor Francisco Emmanuel R. Ortega III released Executive Order No. 12, s. 2020, an Order placing the province under community quarantine and further enhancing the implementation of mandatory precautionary measures against COVID-19.
“This Order primarily aims to prevent the spread of the disease,” said Ortega. In the EO, the community quarantine is effective 12 a.m. of March 16, 2020 to April 12, 2020. Further, the province imposes curfew not later than 10 p.m. and not later earlier than 5 a.m.
“The curfew hours cover not only minors but all residents, except individuals who are rendering emergency and security work,” Ortega said. “Said order may be shortened or extended depending on the recommendations of the
Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19,” Ortega said.
The governor stressed that while the movement to and from La Union shall be restricted during the community quarantine period, the province is not under a lockdown status. A check point was first set up in Rosario town, the
southernmost part of La Union which is manned by a team composed of police, military, Provincial Health Office (PHO), and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
Other checkpoints will be installed in the towns of Sudipen, Burgos, Sto. Tomas, and Pugo to ensure compliance to the EO. The Order also directs for the work suspension at the Provincial Government of La Union, except for those whose services cannot be dispensed with.
Government line agencies and private establishments are encouraged to implement work suspension, if possible and as necessary, subject to the provisions of the Civil Service Commission laws and Labor Code, respectively.
During the quarantine period, alcoholic beverages shall also be prohibited in public places at all times to ensure
policy on social distancing.
Meanwhile, Ortega said he has already directed the PHO to ensure that all six district hospitals in the province to have a holding room within their premises and at least one isolation room.
As of March 15, La Union has no confirmed case of COVID-19. However, there have been 14 Patients Under Investigation, of which eight were already discharged while six are still awaiting laboratory results.
In Ilocos Norte, general community quarantine is now presently observed as the provincial government has placed the entire province of Ilocos Norte under “community quarantine”, effective on March 15.
Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc has issued Provincial Executive Order (EO) No. 60-20, “An order placing
Ilocos Norte under community quarantine”.
In a six-page EO released early Sunday morning, the provincial government imposes community quarantine which is defined as “the movement of people shall be limited to accessing basic necessities and work, and uniform personnel and quarantine officers shall be present at border points”.
“Ilocos Norte remains to be COVID-19 free, thankfully. I believe we have to act as if we do have a confirmed case in our province,” Governor Marcos Manotoc said.
In the exercise of general community quarantine, the Task Force Salun-At will exercise authority over the province and impose orders such as denial of entrance of all individuals entering Ilocos Norte with symptoms of COVID-19, unless they are residents of the province.
Moreover, there is restriction of non-essential entry of people especially persons who are at high risk of being infected such as children, above 60 years old, and those who are immuno compromised or with co-morbidities and
pregnant women.
However, this exempts health worker, authorized government official, those travelling for medical or humanitarian reason, persons transiting to airport for travel abroad, and persons providing basic services and public utilities, and essential skeletal force.
Persons manifesting symptoms of COVID-19 will be considered as Persons Under Monitoring (PUMs).
Further, all kinds of cruises are denied entry to Ilocos Norte are also ordered, as well as nonessential commercial shipments.