MANILA, Philippines — The Taguig City government has placed three areas in Barangay Lower Bicutan under the stricter enhanced community quarantine or ECQ amid the clustering of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.
Purok 4, 5 and 6 in the barangay were placed under ECQ beginnng at 6 p.m. yesterday until July 1.
The residents were required to bring their quarantine passes when going out to buy food, medicine and other essentials during the “hard lockdown.”
City hall personnel would cordon off the areas, conduct contact tracing, door-to-door medical examinations and testing of residents believed to be infected with COVID-19.
The city’s Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit placed the communities in Barangay Lower Bicutan under ECQ after three or more persons were infected daily with the virus.
According to the Taguig health department, seven residents of Purok 4 have tested positive for COVID-19, eight on Purok 5 and 10 others on Purok 6.
Seven new COVID-19 cases were recorded in Lower Bicutan on Monday alone, bringing to 53 the number of virus infections in the barangay.
Barangay Fort Bonifacio posted the highest number of COVID-19 cases at 61.
Officials said they might lift the ECQ before July 1 if COVID-19 infections slow down.
The city government distributed food packs to the affected families.
Localized lockdowns
In Muntinlupa, the city government placed Sitio Pagkakaisa in Barangay Sucat under extreme localized lockdown for two weeks.
The city health office said 17 cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the area as of yesterday.
City health office chief Teresa Tuliao said the hard lockdown would last until June 26.
“We observed clustering of cases in Zone 3, Interior because the area is congested and the houses are close to one another,” she said.
Tuliao said residents infected with COVID-19 are confined at the Ospital ng Muntinlupa.
Barangay Sta. Ana in Pateros was placed under modified ECQ after 30 cases of COVID-19 were registered in the village.
12 LTO employees catch virus
Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Office central office in Quezon City suspended operations for the rest of the week after 12 LTO employees tested positive for COVID-19.
The LTO said work and transactions at the agency were suspended until tomorrow to make way for disinfection.
LTO chief Edgar Galvante said an initial 100 employees underwent antibody rapid testing last week. Ralph Edwin Villanueva, Romina Cabrera