Ilocos Sur: MECQ in Vigan, 5 towns

DAGUPAN CITY , Philippines – Six areas in Ilocos Sur have been placed under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) starting today until Sept. 19.

In an executive order (EO) issued on Friday, Ilocos Sur Gov. Ryan Luis Singson said the stricter quarantine classification would be imposed in Vigan City and the towns of Bantay, Cabugao, San Juan, Sinait and Sto. Domingo.

The COVID-19 task force of the six local government units recommended the shift to MECQ.

The entire province of Ilocos Sur is currently under general community quarantine with heightened restrictions.

Ilocos Sur logged 1,706 active cases with extensive contacts as of Friday. The six areas placed under MECQ accounted for 869 of the cases.

“Using various indicators like case doubling of the disease and... economic and social security, there is a need to reclassify the present status of the city and municipalities in order to have more stringent quarantine restrictions,” the EO read.

In Eastern Samar, Borongan Mayor Jose Ivan Agda placed the city under hard lockdown from Sept. 6 to 9.

The local COVID-19 task force recommended the lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus as many people are expected to converge in public places during their annual fiesta.

Workers living outside the city shall be under a work-from-home arrangement while those residing in the city shall maintain a skeleton workforce. Non-essential travel is prohibited.

In Kalinga, five barangays in Tabuk City were placed under granular lockdown starting at midnight yesterday until Sept. 16.

Tabuk Mayor Darwin Estrañero said the affected areas are  Bulanao Centro, where 78 active cases were recorded on Friday; Bulanao Norte, 41; Dagupan Centro and Agbannawag, 25 each, and Dagupan West, 26.

The city government extended the lockdown in Barangay Lacnog East for another 14 days.

Cagayan logs

highest COVID-19 deaths

Meanwhile, in Cagayan, 32 deaths due to COVID-19 were recorded on Friday, the highest single-day tally in the province.

Eleven of the deaths were registered in Tuguegarao City, five in Baggao, four in Alcala and one each in Allacapan, Amulung, Ballesteros, Camalaniugan, Gonzaga, Lal-lo, Lasam, Sanchez Mira, Sta. Ana and Sto. Niño.

The Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of the Department of Health said 421 tested positive for the virus in the province on the same day, bringing the total active cases to 4,386.

Tuguegarao also logged the highest number of new cases at 114, followed by Amulung with 38; Baggao, 34; Gonzaga, 27, and Aparri, 25.

The provincial inter-agency task force on COVID-19 has been asked to downgrade Tuguegarao from ECQ to MECQ from Sept. 6 to 12.

Baggao and Solana towns are under ECQ until today. Piat is under ECQ until Sept. 11.

Bohol hospitals full

In Bohol, Gov. Arthur Yap said the critical care utilization rate is at 80 percent as the daily average COVID-19 cases have increased.

Yap said there are 1,947 active cases in Bohol with mild to severe symptoms.

He said the surge in cases could be triggered by the highly infectious Delta variant.

In Valencia, Bukidnon, city administrator Genaro Cadigal said many COVID patients have died at their homes because hospitals are at full capacity.

Cadigal said they are “overwhelmed” with the number of deaths.

”We have no other option but to use the new cemetery. We are not supposed to use it yet, but there is an emergency,” he said. – Artemio Dumlao, Victor Martin, Miriam Desacada, Emmanuel Tupas, Gerry Lee Gorit