ILOILO – If you are from Estancia town, do not enter the nearby municipality of Concepcion. You are barred.
Mayor Raul Banias of Concepcion ordered a weeklong travel ban in an Aug. 3 Executive Order (EO) No. 46 after the local government unit of Estancia confirmed having two cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“(T)hese two positive cases were not immediately quarantined as required by the health protocol on COVID-19 and continued to circulate in Estancia and unnecessarily exposed themselves to others,” read part of Banias’ EO.
According to Banias, a physician, he was able to discuss the situation with Estancia’s Municipal Health Officer, Dr. Greg Rolan Sumile.
“(T)his is a public health situation that can potentially become a super spreader event if not handled appropriately and swiftly,” said Banias.
The need to protect the people of Concepcion from the possibility of local transmission – if people from Estancia continue to enter the town – has become “urgent”, he stressed.
“Ako worried kay ti naga-transaction kami sa Estancia kag nagadala sang isda. Ang taga-Estancia nagabakal man sang isda sa amon,” according to Banias.
He told Dr. Sumile, “Meantime nga wala pa kamo nakatapos contacttracing kag wala pa kita result sang test, indi lang anay pagpasudlon ang taga-Estancia sa amon banwa.”
The Estancia travel ban took effect on Aug 3.
“I-lift naton as soon nga makatapos sila contact trace and makagwa ang resulta,” said Banias.
He placed the police and LGU staff manning Concepcion’s border checkpoints on “heightened alert and surveillance to prevent the breach of our borders by people from Estancia.”
Banias’ EO, however, exempted “authorized persons in the performance of duties” such as military and police personnel, local officials, and medical workers.
The two COVID cases in Estancia worked for Mayor Melina Requinto. They were the following:
* 56-year-old male or Patient No. 1307, a locally stranded individual (LSI) who returned to Estancia on July 19 from Metro Manila; he was a personal aide of Requinto
* 33-year-old male or Patient No. 1355, personal driver of Requinto
Patient No. 1355 fetched Patient 1307 at Fort San Pedro in Iloilo City on July 19.
On Monday, Aug. 3, the municipal hall of Estancia town closed its doors to the public for five days for disinfection./PN
