DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 7 April) – Mayor Sara Duterte said on Tuesday that she is contemplating on putting Davao City under extreme enhanced community quarantine (EECQ) if the number of confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases here would continue to rise.
In her live interview over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) 87.5, Duterte said this stricter quarantine measure would be imposed if the enforcement of a 15-day enhanced community quarantine from April 4 until April 20 would not suffice to curb COVID-19 cases.
Once imposed, she said there would be fewer business establishments that would be allowed to operate while the food and medicine pass might be used only on certain dates to prevent the people from going out during the EECQ.
According to Executive Order 23, issued on April 2, all private establishments and offices must close under the ECQ, except groceries, supermarkets, wet markets/palengkes, food commissaries, food processing or manufacturing, food delivery services, wholesale food outlets, convenience stores, sari-sari stores, hospitals, medical laboratories, pharmacies, drugstores, other health services/personnel, banks and ATMs, savings and credit cooperatives, money-transfer services and bayad centers, courier services, other delivery services, doctor’s and dentist’s clinics, gas stations, water refilling stations, LPG stations, business process outsourcing/call centers, and mass media outlets.
She said the local government would announce if the stricter measure would be necessary before April 19.
Duterte added the local government would lift the ECQ and place the city under a simple community quarantine if local authorities would see an improvement in the number of COVID-19 cases.
He said the businesses and religious leaders have been advised to prepare a system on the “physical distancing” if ever the city government would reinstate the “community quarantine” instead of the ECQ.
“You create a system on physical distancing so that when we open, your offices and facilities are ready. You must enforce at least one-meter physical distancing,” she added.
She said offices and churches must place markings of at least one-meter apart on the floors and chairs to guide their employees and worshippers of the physical distancing, which will be enforced strictly to avoid resurgence of the infection once the city reopens.
“This is just a preparation just in case we go back to an ordinary community quarantine. We should see the markings so that the people know where to stand or sit,” she said.
The mayor said the local government targets to reopen the academic institutions in the city on May 25 if the situation improves.
As of April 6, 2020, Department of Health-Davao recorded a total of 16,413 Persons Under Monitoring (PUMs) and 493 Patients Under Investigation (PUIs).
Of the total PUMs, 10,818 were already cleared and 593 are still being placed under strict home quarantine. Of the total PUIs, 402 tested negative and were discharged, 12 died due to pre-existing medical conditions and not in any way related to COVID-19, while 79 awaiting results for their COVID-19 laboratory test.
It said 38 PUIs are admitted at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in Davao City, 22 at the Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) in Tagum City, 16 at La Diva Inn and three at the Treatment and Rehabilitation Center (TRC) in Malagos. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
