Rizal starts lockdown today

MANILA, Philippines — The province of Rizal will be on lockdown starting today to address the rising cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Acting governor Reynaldo San Juan Jr. yesterday issued Executive Order 14, restricting entry to and exit from the  province to protect residents from potential virus carriers who are not from Rizal. 

The lockdown will take effect at 8 a.m., the provincial government said without indicating how long it would last.

“It is for the protection of the province. We want to ensure the safety of our people. Considerations have been done since the implementation of the community quarantine, but people do not take it seriously,” San Juan said.  

Meanwhile, Gov. Rebecca Ynares, who tested positive for COVID-19, said her condition has not worsened.

Ynares turned over the operations of the provincial government to San Juan last week.

Under the lockdown, non-residents will be barred from entering Rizal unless they are exempted under the guidelines set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases. 

Those exempted include workers in hospitals, supermarkets, markets, food preparation, delivery services, agricultural supply and other business establishments allowed to operate by the government.

Authorized government officials, health workers, media personnel, repatriated overseas workers and religious ministers will be allowed entry, provided they will undergo thermal scanning or temperature check.

All forms of public transportation is suspended. Only vehicles provided for frontliners and critical service workers are allowed to operate, although  passengers are advised to observe physical distancing.

Checkpoints will be implemented 24 hours a day at the borders of Rizal. 

Cargo trucks and other vehicles ferrying food commodities and agricultural products can enter Rizal through designated food lanes.

Recoveries

A doctor from Cagayan, who is among five health workers in Cagayan Valley tested positive for COVID, has recovered from the disease.

Two nurses and two Tuguegarao residents remain confined at the Cagayan Valley Medical Center, according to Glenn Mathew Baggao, head of CVMC.

Two other nurses who tested positive for COVID are confined in hospitals in Santiago City and Bayombong in Nueva Vizcaya.

Baggao said all persons under investigation (PUIs) at the CVMC have been discharged after they tested negative for the virus.

In Bicol, eight of 11 persons tested positive for COVID have recovered while the remaining patients are in stable condition, the regional health office reported yesterday.

In Zamboanga City, three persons tested positive for the disease are recovering and waiting to be transferred to another isolation center, where they would continue treatment until they fully heal.

However, instead of decreasing, two more were added to the number of the city’s COVID cases on Saturday, according to city health office chief Dulce Amor Miravite.

New cases

The city of Olongapo and the island province of Camiguin recorded their second and first COVID cases, respectively, on Saturday.

The COVID patient in Olongapo is a 45-year-old man who has no travel history and was first included in the list of PUIs.

Camiguin’s first COVID patient is a 32-year-old government employee, who attended a seminar in Metro Manila three weeks ago, according to Gov. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo.

Reports said the trainor in the same seminar earlier tested positive for the disease.

Health authorities have conducted contact tracing for all attendees of the event. – With Raymund Catindig, Bebot Sison Jr., Gerry Lee-Gorit, Roel Pareño, Cet Dematera, Gilbert Bayoran