Navotas to be placed on two-week citywide lockdown

Published Jul 13, 2020 12:24:15 PM

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 13) — Navotas City will be placed under a 14-day citywide lockdown amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases, Mayor Toby Tiangco said on Monday.

He said the lockdown will take effect 24 hours after the police assemble a team for augmentation in the city. The tentative start is on July 15.

“Kapag iyan ay dumating, magbibigay kami ng one day notice. Then the next day, iimplement na ang lockdown,” he told CNN Philippines on Monday.

[Translation: Once the police augmentation arrives, we will give one day notice. The next day, we will start the lockdown.]

The mayor said residents of of the city will be allowed to leave if they work outside Navotas. Similarly, nonresidents who work in the city will be allowed to enter during the lockdown period. Delivery of goods from outside the city, except for food deliveries, will be permitted.

The city recorded 31 new cases on Sunday, bringing the total to 547 active cases. Tiangco said the city’s two isolation facilities are now full after two days of record-high new cases, which prompted local health officials to bring patients to quarantine centers managed by the national government.

He said residents put down their guard when Metro Manila was placed under the relaxed general community quarantine. Local officials are revising city ordinances to impose heftier fines for those who violate rules on wearing masks and social distancing, he added.

“Sa Navotas po ang titigas ng ulo ng mga tao. Ang mga bata pinapayagan ng mga magulang lumabas. Yung ibang matatanda, hindi naman official business, lumalabas na nga, hindi pa naka-face mask… Yung mga essential lang talaga ang dapat nasa labas ng bahay. Mga patambay-tambay, huhulihin namin iyon,” he said.

[Translation: Navotas residents are hardheaded. The parents allow their children to go out in the streets. Some leave their homes for nonessential trips, they don’t even wear face masks. Only those going on essential trips will be allowed to go out. Those who loiter will be apprehended.]

Navotas has recorded a total of 931 confirmed cases, with 325 recoveries and 59 deaths.

Tiangco said random RT-PCR testing will be conducted during the 14-day lockdown.

SOURCE: https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/7/13/Navotas-City-lockdown-COVID-19-cases.html