TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan, Feb. 4 (PIA) - - Officials of this city will implement a stricter "zonal containment" strategy to contain the further spread of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
This after the health department has assessed that the city's average daily attack rate is still within the "high risk" category.
The Regional Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Disease (RIATF-EID) has recently concurred the request of the city government to downgrade the quarantine status of the city from Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) to General Community Quarantine (GCQ).
However, Dr. Rio Magpantay, regional director of the Department of Health (DOH) region 2, said the city should strengthen its measures to control the fast increase of COVID-19 cases in the city.
In the latest report of DOH, there are still 271 active cases in the city, the highest among the cities and municipalities in Cagayan Valley region that prompted the health director to recommended for the adoption of Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) status for the city instead of GCQ.
However, Mayor Jefferson Soriano explained that, while the health should always be ensured but the economic side is already at stake and they can no longer provide for assistance to the severely affected families.
"We've been under ECQ for 15 days and the people are already clamoring of this situation. We can no longer afford to provide food and cash assistance to them if we will extend further the harder quarantine status in the city, especially the poorest of the poor, the tricycle drivers and the small businesses," Soriano said.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) region 2 also backed the position of Mayor Soriano bringing into the attention of the task force members the loses on business and industries in the city - the commerce, trade, business and industrial center in the region.
Soriano said to control the further spread of the virus, they will implement "hard lockdown" in the barangay zones with positive cases.
"There will be no movement or no coming in and out from the zones under zonal containment within the period that they are under zonal lockdown," he added.
On the other hand, Soriano said they will also strictly follow the guidelines set by the IATF under the GCQ status and he urged agencies and private offices to help lessen the number of positive cases in the city. (MDCT/OTB/PIA 2-Cagayan)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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