MAGSINGAL, Ilocos Sur, July 1 (PIA) – This municipality will still be under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until July 15 due to the still increasing number of new cases and sustained community transmission in some barangays here.
Governor Ryan Luis Singson issued Executive Order No. 59 on Tuesday, June 29, noting that the medical team of Ilocos Sur also sees the need to extend the MECQ in Magsingal in order to contain the virus.
MECQ is the second most stringent quarantine classification in the country.
Earlier, the provincial government of Ilocos Sur placed the town under MECQ from June 16 to 30 due to the continued increase of positive cases recorded, confirmation of local transmission, full occupancy of all isolation facilities, absence of a Level 3 hospital, and depletion of health workers in the province.
Despite interventions and implementation of health and safety measures, the threat of COVID-19 in the province remains at an alarming level as there are still 503 active cases as of June 29 and 38 of them still come from Magsingal, the governor said.
Aside from Magsingal, the governor extended until July 4 the MECQ in the municipalities of Burgos, Narvacan and Sto. Domingo, which was supposed to be lifted on June 19.
He also placed the municipalities of Sinait and Sta. Lucia under MECQ until July 12.
Further, the city of Candon and the municipalities of Bantay, Salcedo, San Juan and Santa Cruz are under general community quarantine (GCQ) until July 12.
Meanwhile, Salcedo Mayor Leopoldo Gironella Jr. issued Executive Order No. 23 yesterday to temporarily suspend the acceptance of returning residents and to temporarily suspend social gatherings in their municipality from July 1 to 15.
Mayor Gironella said the established Municipal Quarantine Facility has been fully loaded of returning residents including returning overseas Filipino workers and authorized persons outside residence as well as the identified isolation facility for COVID-19 positive cases is also fully loaded.
He said that upon recommendation of the Municipal Health Office and the Municipal Epidemiologic Surveillance Unit, there is a need to undertake intervention as well as necessary action or measure regarding the management of returning residents as well as social gathering within the municipality.
“The town recorded a sharp increase of COVID-19 cases last June as well as the prevalence of local transmission,” the local chief executive said.
He added, the temporary suspension of the acceptance of returning residents will give enough time to facilitate and ease the status at the Municipal Quarantine Facility and likewise to mitigate the outbreak of COVID-19 cases while the suspension of event and social gatherings will help prevent the spread of the virus and local transmission. (JCR/AMB/PIA Ilocos Sur)
