MORE local government units (LGUs) outside of the National Capital Region (NCR) are adopting the region’s policy restricting the movements of unvaccinated individuals outside of their homes to essential travels as a strategy to control the rising number of coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) cases in the country.
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said the city council has passed an ordinance preventing residents who have yet to be inoculated against the coronavirus from leaving their homes, except for essential errands such as to buy food and medicines, and to go to work.
“The ordinance will not allow the unvaccinated to get out of their houses unless for specific missions, essential. Like if they have to work, if they have to procure their needs for food, for medicines,” Treñas said, adding that the order was signed only yesterday and will only become effective in 10 days after it is posted in a local publication.
The local executive said the restriction also applies to the use of public transportation vehicles, a policy of the Department of Transportation which is now in effect in Metro Manila.
“As a lawyer, I believe that this (ordinance) is in accordance with the police power of the state to protect itself. For as long as there are unvaccinated who are going around, then the virus has a chance to mutate and this will forever go around us,” said Treñas.
Treñas said the unvaccinated may still ride public utility vehicles provided these are for essential trips. “It will not totally deprive them (unvaccinated) from using the public transport or getting out of their houses, but it will limit their movement,” he said.
He said the ordinance will only be in effect while the city is under Alert Level 3, and when their alert level is escalated to Alert 4 or 5. It will become “inoperative” if the city’s quarantine status is downgraded to Alert Level 2 or 1.
Iloilo City is under Alert Level 3 until January 31.
Treñas said only a small portion of the city’s population will be impacted by the ordinance, noting that many of the residents have already availed of the local government’s vaccination initiative.
The local leader also said that employees and people who have yet to get their booster shots will not be allowed to transact business and to enter the city hall.
“That is one of the measures that we placed in Iloilo City just to encourage people to get boosters,” said Treñas.
Treñas also announced that the city government on Monday stopped requiring returning residents from presenting negative RT-PCR test because the tests are expensive.
“Considering that it was giving added burden to passengers, (and) considering also that the DOH (Department of Health) continues to give us RT-PCR tests, swab, we will only require passengers coming in to have swab tests here in Iloilo city for free,” he said.
Iloilo City has recorded 27,738 COVID-19 cases, with 600 deaths and 4,110 active cases.
Treñas said the city experienced a “dramatic increase” in COVID-19 cases earlier this month. “It continues to go up. (But) unlike in NCR, Iloilo City has not yet reached its peak,” he said.
Meanwhile, the provinces of Siquijor, Zambales and Mountain Province have also adopted strict stay-home restrictions to prevent the further spread of the virus in their communities.
Siquijor and Zambales are under Alert Level 3, while Mountain Province is under Alert Level 4.
During the Laging Handa press briefing, Siquijor Gov. Zaldy Villa said he has signed an executive order barring residents from leaving their homes except to buy food and medicine supplies and to avail of essential services.
Villa said people aged below 18 years old and 65 years old and above, those with comorbidities, and pregnant women are prohibited from going out.
He also said face-face classes, contact sports, and cockfighting are not allowed under Alert Level 3, while the operation of entertainment and leisure establishments like karaoke bars, cockfighting, lottery and gaming have also been suspended.
Siquijor has 156 active COVID-19 cases. Of this, 13 are confined in hospitals, while the rest are in isolation facilities.
Villa said the province experienced a surge in infections early this month, and attributed this to residents who traveled to high-risk areas during the holidays.
On the other hand, with Mountain Province escalated to Alert Level 4, provincial health officer Dr. Annie Claire Pekas said the provincial government has limited outdoor trips to essential travels.
Pekas said checkpoints have been set up and all travelers passing through these are required to present their vaccination cards before they are allowed entry. Tourism activities, she added, have been suspended.
As of Monday, the DOH said the province has already recorded 8,943 COVID-19 cases, with 728 active cases and 135 deaths.
Pekas said 80 percent of the active cases in the province are either mild or asymptomatic cases and are on home quarantine. The rest are in hospitals or in isolation facilities.
She said the province’s hospital utilization rate is still in good condition. “We are monitoring our healthcare utilization rate, the number of people admitted in TTMF (Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facility) and our number of cases. If they don’t go down, we may maintain or heighten (our alert status) but if they go down, our alert level may be downgraded,” she added.
Likewise, Zambales provincial health officer Dr. Noel Bueno said the province has imposed stricter border control to avert the further spread of the virus.
The province currently has 418 active COVID-10 cases.
“The fully-vaccinated are the only ones we’re allowing to enter our border,” said Bueno, referring to travelers going to the province.
Bueno said only 57 COVID-19 patients are confined. The province has allocated 250 beds for COVID-19 patients.
VIOLATORS
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said 86,703 quarantine violators have been accosted throughout the country from January 16 to 21, mostly for not wearing face masks.
During President Duterte’s Talk to the People forum on Monday night, Año said the number of violators accosted by authorities have increased compared to the January 9 to 15 figures.
“We can see that from January 16 to January 21, there is an increase of violations for not wearing face mask, it increased by three percent,” said Año in a power point presentation.
There were 64,646 violators accosted from January 16 until 21 for not wearing face masks, 590 for violating the ban on the conduct of mass gatherings, and 24,398 for not observing physical distancing.
Año said a small number of the total violators were charged in court, while the rest were merely warned and sent home.
Meanwhile, Año reported that 807 areas throughout the country are under granular lockdown as of January 21. These areas are in 296 barangays within 31 cities and municipalities.
Cordillera Administrative Region has the highest number of areas under granular lockdown with 242, followed by Cagayan Valley with 212, the NCR with 169, Ilocos region with 165, and Mimaropa with 19.
Año said 1,111 households or 2,145 individuals are affected by the lockdowns.
