Cagayan Valley, Bulacan COVID cases surge

MANILA, Philippines — Cagayan Valley has recorded a spike in the number of coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 cases.

The Department of Health (DOH) regional office said new cases were recorded in Alcala, Cagayan as well as in Naguilian, Quezon, San Agustin, San Isidro and San Manuel in Isabela yesterday.

An overseas Filipino worker (OFW), a native of Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya who arrived at the Clark International Airport from Qatar, was quarantined in an isolation facility in Pampanga.

A resident of Rizal, Cagayan was quarantined at the We Heal as One Center-Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

The DOH said eight cases, mostly returning locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and OFWs, were being added to the list of patients in Cagayan Valley everyday.

There are now 177 cases in the region from only 120 on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Bulacan recorded 49 new cases on Monday.

The provincial health office said Malolos recorded 12 cases; Balagtas, eight; Bulakan, six; Marilao and Bocaue, four each; San Jose del Monte and Calumpit, three each; Obando and Hagonoy, two each, and Meycauayan City, Sta. Maria, Pandi, San Rafael and Baliwag, one each.

The confirmed cases in Bulacan has risen to 689. At least 405 are active cases while 246 have recovered.

Almost 36 percent of the confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bulacan are from San Jose del Monte with 136; Marilao, 78; Malolos, 61, and Meycauayan, 50.

Government offices on lockdown

In Zamboanga City, three government offices were placed on lockdown after their employees were exposed to COVID-19 patients or those who had contact with confirmed cases.

Ceferino Rubio, Department of Trade and Industry regional director, said a family member of the elevator man of the building which houses the DTI office tested positive for the virus.

The office of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), which occupies the second floor of the building, was also placed on lockdown.

Some PIA employees were on self-quarantine after they were exposed to LSIs from Manila.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Zamboanga peninsula regional office was closed after an agent and two laboratory staff were exposed to a suspected patient.

Five new cases were recorded in Zamboanga City on Monday night. There are now 317 cases, 121 of them active.

In Pangasinan, Bani Mayor Gwen Palafox-Yamamoto barred non-residents from entering the town after a visitor from Zambales was found infected with the virus.

Yamamoto placed Zones 4 and 7 in Barangay San Vicente on lockdown until Friday. Ramon Efren Lazaro, Roel Pareño, Eva Visperas