103 NCR areas under lockdown

MANILA, Philippines — Areas in the National Capital Region (NCR) that have been placed under granular lockdown due to COVID-19 cases reached 103 yesterday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported yesterday.

The lockdown affects 160 households or 325 people. To ensure they remain at home, 190 police officers and 210 force multipliers were deployed in these areas.

Forty-one of the lockdown areas are in Manila while 35 are in northern Metro Manila.

Eighteen areas in eastern Metro Manila and nine in southern Metro Manila were also locked down.

Despite having at least 31,479 active cases, no area in Quezon City was locked down, based on the PNP’s report.

Cases soar in Pasay

Meanwhile, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Pasay skyrocketed to 3,268 on Wednesday, increasing by 509 new cases or 12.69 percent in a day.

As of Wednesday, Pasay recorded 25,755 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 21,928 recoveries and 559 deaths.

The number of active cases in Pasay steadily increased from one on Dec. 23, according to the city government.

Quiapo Church shut down

In Manila, Quiapo Church was temporarily closed yesterday until Jan. 28 to stem the surge in COVID-19 infections.

In a statement posted on its official Facebook page, Quiapo Church parish priest Hernando Coronel said “organizational work and other church-related activities that cater to the public are suspended… However, we will still continue to have our daily online masses and devotions streamed live on our social media pages and accounts.”

He said the two-week closure will be used to conduct a thorough disinfection and intensive sanitation of the church premises.

Mandaluyong closes 3 vax sites

The Mandaluyong City government temporarily closed three of its COVID vaccination centers yesterday until Sunday for disinfection after some members of its vaccination team tested positive for the virus.

All three of the closed centers are based in malls.

In an advisory, the city government said only the Unilab Bayanihan vaccination site along Pioneer street in Barangay Highway Hills is open for people seeking to get COVID jabs.

There were at least 1,690 active COVID-19 cases in Mandaluyong, based on the latest report of the city health department.

The city government has also started distributing COVID health recovery kits after major drugstores reported having low stocks of medicines for cough, colds and flu, common symptoms of COVID-19.

Each kit contains essential drugs, vitamin C tablets, mentholated rub, alcohol, face masks and towels. – Ralph Edwin Villanueva, Robertzon Ramirez