ILOCOS SUR, July 8 (PIA) – The municipality of Alilem was added to the list of areas in Ilocos Sur which was placed under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
The MECQ status is effective today, July 8 until July 22 unless sooner lifted or withdrawn.
Governor Ryan Luis Singson, through Executive Order No. 68, reclassified Alilem town from modified general community quarantine to MECQ in order to contain the virus.
“The threat of COVID-19 in the province remains very high and alarming as there are 3,691 recorded confirmed cases wherein 904 of them are active cases with extensive contacts and 46 of which came from the municipality of Alilem as of July 7,” Governor Singson said.
Singson said the Provincial COVID-19 Task Force recommended the reclassification of the present status of the said municipality in order to have more stringent quarantine restrictions.
Other areas in the province which are under MECQ are Sinait and Sta. Lucia (until July 12), Magsingal (until July 15), Banayoyo and Lidlidda (until July 18), and Burgos and Narvacan (until July 19).
Meanwhile, Sta. Catalina Mayor Edgar Rapanut issued Executive Order No. 31 on Wednesday, an order for the disinfection and temporary closure of the public market and conduct of mass testing to affected vendors and identified individuals in the market.
As of July 7, there were nine additional active confirmed cases in the local government unit (LGU) where one of the identified individuals is a vendor in the public market.
Mayor Rapanut said, “Due to the present situation in the locality, the Municipal Health Office (MHO) has recommended to take precautionary measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 such as disinfection and conduct of mass RT-PCR testing to all vendors in the market.”
He said that the vendors who underwent RT-PCR testing are strictly advised to observe home quarantine until the result is released by the MHO.
“If RT-PCR test result is positive, he/she will be isolated in accordance with the isolation protocol set by the Ilocos Sur provincial government,” he added.
Sta. Catalina town was placed under general community quarantine until July 18.
As of July 7, the province of Ilocos Sur has recorded a total of 3,707 cases since the pandemic started last year, 918 are active cases while 66 are mortalities. (JCR/AMB/PIA Ilocos Sur)
