28 more cops get COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines — Twenty-eight more police officers have tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported yesterday.

Seven of the new cases are from Metro Manila, six from Davao, four from Central Luzon, three from Eastern Visayas, two each from the Cordilleras, Northern Mindanao and Soccsksargen and one from Central Visayas.

A police officer from an operational support unit of the PNP is also among the new cases.

The PNP said a total of 7,799 police officers have contracted the virus.

At least 7,412 or 95.03 percent of the patients have recovered while 25 died.

The PNP said 362 of the infected personnel remain in hospitals and quarantine facilities.

Davao shortens curfew

Meanwhile, in Davao City, Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio reduced curfew hours from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. even as the city reverted to stricter general community quarantine or GCQ on Friday.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases or IATF placed Davao City under GCQ anew due to a spike in the number of confirmed cases.

Carpio said a shorter curfew would allow longer operational hours for business establishments.

The city government lifted the curfew in August when it was placed under a more relaxed modified GCQ, but reimposed it last month as the number of confirmed cases rose.

Aside from the curfew, a liquor ban is in effect in the city.

In Ilocos Norte, Gov. Matthew Manotoc said a skeleton workforce would be implemented in the provincial capitol after three employees tested positive for the virus.

Two provincial capitol employees and a jail personnel are among the six new cases in the province.

Ilocos Norte has 194 confirmed cases, 60 of them active.

As this developed, Solano town in Nueva Viscaya was declared COVID-free after its remaining patient in Barangay Bangaan has recovered.

Solano was placed under modified enhanced community quarantine or MECQ in September due to a surge in the number of cases.

The town logged 275 cases, with 10 fatalities. – Edith Regalado, Raymund Catindig