PNP records 20k quarantine 'violators' since start of ECQ
MANILA, Philippines — Over 20,000 quarantine violators have been recorded by the Philippine National Police since the imposition of the enhanced community quarantine, 353 of whom will face formal charges for breaching curfew hours.
Between Friday and 4 a.m. on Saturday, the Joint Task Force COVID Shield said the PNP apprehended, fined, and warned 20,511 citizens for violations of public health and safety guidelines in the so-called NCR Plus bubble.
Metro Manila went into ECQ starting Friday, August 6, in an attempt to curb the spread of the more infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus. Out of the 20,511, only violators from Metro Manila were sued, while the capital region posted the highest number of violators with 4,394.
Of which, 5,781 were sanctioned over violations of the uniform curfew hours being implemented, while 14,775 were cited for violations of minimum public health standards.
Police Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said late Saturday night that the bulk of violators were accosted for not wearing and "improperly wearing" face shields and face masks, while others were caught not observing social distancing.
The police chief disclosed that Metro Manila tallied 10 violators of Republic Act No. 11332, or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act, "who were all simply warned." Complaints of alleged violations of this act have been dismissed by prosecutors and courts during the pandemic, with the most high-profile being the case of Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III who went out while waiting for his COVID-19 test results.
Eleazar added that were documented claiming to be Authorized Persons Outside of Residence or Essential Persons "but were not able to show proof."
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Arrests of quarantine violators were hit by critics earlier in the coronavirus-induced community quarantines after they eventually led to the congestion of detention facilities.
The Department of Justice earlier voiced its preference for imposing community service on quarantine violators but immediately took this back after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered police to begin arresting violators anew.
“We will continue and further intensify surveillance at quarantine control points especially in areas where there is a high number of cases of the Delta variant of Covid-19," Eleazar said in Filipino.
"Once again, we demand the discipline and cooperation of every citizen so that our current situation does not worsen."
To date, health authorities have recorded 1.64 million coronavirus infections in the country, 76,063 of whom are still classified as active cases.
It has been 509 days since the first ECQ was hoisted over some parts of Luzon, and the Philippines remains under the world's longest lockdown. — Franco Luna
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