Outline of the map of Metro Manila (Wikipedia)
Quezon City and Manila placed more areas under strict lockdowns amid a spike in Covid-19 cases, just a day after Palace spokesman Harry Roque said the Philippines was “excellent” in its pandemic response.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte placed a portion of Sitio 5, Jose Abad Santos in Barangay Sta. Lucia on lockdown, in addition to other places that have been put under localized lockdowns due to a surge in cases.
The city government said in a Facebook post that it would provide food and essential kits to the affected families, who were to undergo swab testing and a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said that the city recorded 154 new Covid-19 cases and would be placing barangays with 10 new cases under strict lockdown.
Under Executive Order 6, Moreno placed Brgy. 351, San Lazaro and Tayuman (12 new cases), Brgy. 725 in Malate (four new cases), and Brgy. 699 Malate, Bayview Mansion and Hop Inn Hotel (17 new cases) under a four-day lockdown starting March 11 at 12:01 a.m. until March 14 at 11:59 a.m.
“Those who will violate lockdown protocols will be brought to quarantine facilities for 14 days [instead of only three days],” Domagoso said.
Moreno assured the affected residents that the local government would provide food.
Earlier, some areas in Navotas were placed under localized enhanced community quarantine from Feb. 24 to March 12.
Under the Resolution 7 Series of 2021 or the “Concurrence to the Declaration of Localized Enhanced Community Quarantine in Identified Areas In the CIty of Navotas,” a “granular lockdown” was imposed in the following areas:
- Compound located at No. 177 Gov. A. Pascual, Barangay Sipac Almacen
- Area along Interior Monroy Street, Barangay Navotas West
- Area along Sioson Street, Barangay Bangculasi
Residents were urged to undergo RT-PCR testing.
The daily case count in the National Capital Region could reach 2,000 by March 21 and could escalate to 3,000 before April, the OCTA Research Group has warned. H. B. Oledan