189 households on lockdown

CEBU, Philippines — At least 189 households have been placed on granular lockdown in two sitios of Barangay Hilotongan, Bantayan, Cebu following a reported spike in the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the area.

The municipal government announced on Facebook that 158 households were locked down in Sitio Bayabas and 31 in Sitio Kapayas.

"Due to numerous contacts during the social gatherings where the active cases were present, the sitios had to be locked down to prevent the spread of the virus," read the advisory of the municipal government posted on its Facebook page.

However, it was not specified in the post how long the lock down would last and how many cases have been recorded in the two sitios. As of yesterday, Bantayan reported 26 active cases from the seven reported two weeks ago. On October 20, Bantayan reported three new cases all are from Barangay Hilotongan. The patients are currently under home isolation in the islet.

The town now has a total of 69 cases with 42 recoveries and one death.

The municipal government has deployed police personnel to monitor the affected areas. All affected households were given food boxes and 10 kilos of rice each. — FPL (FREEMAN)