30 Zamboanga areas on lockdown

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — At least 30 areas in this city have been placed on lockdown due to rising cases of coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, authorities said yesterday.

The lockdown was implemented as the cases in the city, considered the epicenter of the pandemic in Zamboanga peninsula, soared to 395.

The city health and police offices said most of the cases were recorded in adjacent barangays located within the city’s seven-kilometer radius.

Among those placed under lockdown were the police Station 6 and the fire station in Barangay Tetuan.

An inmate tested positive for the virus and the seven police personnel were placed under home quarantine.

The rising number of cases brought the isolation and quarantine facilities near their full capacity, according to Dulce Amor Mivarite, city health office chief.

The regional health department reported a spike of the cases after it recorded at least 43 cases within three days.

The figure brought the number of confirmed cases in the region to 511 as of Sunday.

Zamboanga City was the highest with 395 cases, 194 of which are active.

It was followed by Zamboanga del Sur with 38 cases; Isabela City, 34; Zamboanga del Norte, 23, and Zamboanga Sibugay, 21.

The spike in the cases could have been due to the easing of the quarantine status and complacency of the people in observing the minimum health standards, according Joshua Brillantes, DOH-Region 9 assistant director.