Aklan doctors want stricter quarantine

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — A group of doctors in Aklan has sought a stricter quarantine classification in the province, citing a spike in COVID-19 cases.

The Aklan Medical Society made the request in a letter to Gov. Florencio Miraflores dated July 27.

The group noted that the province recorded an average of 147 cases, with up to three deaths daily from July 18 to 24.

“Despite placing the province under general community quarantine with heightened restrictions, it has not deterred the daily increase in COVID-19 cases,” it said.

“Soon this will exhaust our resources, such as hospitals and health facility beds, medicine and mechanical ventilators,” the group of doctors said.

The Philippine College of Physicians Capiz-Aklan chapter is recommending a shift to enhanced community quarantine or modified ECQ “to prevent the impending collapse of our health system.”

“Until our cases are manageable or our vaccine rollout is continuous, we cannot relax our guard since COVID-19 variants have reached our province,” the group said.

Data from the provincial health office showed that Aklan recorded 1,329 active cases as of Friday.

Aklan accounted for 253 of the 556 cases recorded in Western Visayas on the same day, which is 46 percent of the new infections.

Meanwhile, Iloilo province and Iloilo City, which are under ECQ until Aug. 7, logged 107 and 71 cases, respectively.

2nd Delta case in Bulacan

In Bulacan, Gov. Daniel Fernando confirmed that the second case of the highly infectious Delta variant of COVID-19 was detected in Sta. Maria town. He said the patient is under quarantine.

Fernando had earlier announced that the first Delta case in Bulacan was detected in San Ildefonso town. The patient has recovered.

In Pampanga, Gov. Dennis Pineda imposed stricter quarantine protocols after four Delta cases were recorded in the province. Three of the patients are returning overseas Filipino workers.

Under an executive order (EO) Pineda issued on Friday, non-residents are required to present a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction or antigen test 48 hours prior to arrival in the province.

The EO reactivated barangay checkpoints and border controls under the supervision of the Philippine National Police.

Residents were banned from going from one village to another.

Curfew hours from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and a liquor ban were also imposed.

“Tuloy ang hanapbuhay,” Pineda said, noting that those aged 18 to 60 are allowed to go out, but senior citizens and minors should stay home.

No vaccination card, no entry policy

In Eastern Samar, Gov. Ben Evardone said the no vaccination card, no entry policy would be imposed in the provincial capitol building starting tomorrow.

Evardone said those with no vaccination card would be required to take an antigen swab test.

He appealed for understanding from the public on the implementation of the policy, which he said guarantees the safety of provincial capitol workers while ensuring that their offices remain open and operational to serve the public.

The provincial health office said 40,415 residents of Eastern Samar have received their first dose of COVID vaccine while 28,976 have been fully vaccinated. – Miriam Desacada, Ramon Efren Lazaro, Ric Sapnu