ILOILO City – More barangays in this southern city would be locked down should cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continue to spike in their areas.
Mayor Jerry Treñas said barangays with four confirmed infections would be immediately sealed off to stop the virus from spreading.
“Ginahatagan ta sila leeway. Ginpahulat ta nga mag-apat ang kaso kag amo pag-lockdown,” said Treñas, adding that barangays with two to three infections are being forewarned.
On Friday, 41 more persons at the Iloilo Fish Port Complex in Barangay Tanza contracted COVID-19, pushing to 105 the facility’s total cases.
According to Treñas, 19 were residents of Barangay Pala-Pala 2, City Proper; 11 were from Tanza Baybay, City Proper; and another 11 from San Juan, Molo.
These 41 cases were part of the city’s 56 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 results that the Department of Health (DOH) released yesterday.
The 15 remaining cases were residents of the following barangays:
* San Lorenzo, La Paz (locally stranded individual or LSI) – 2
* Kasingkasing, Molo – 1
* Jalandoni Street, St. Joseph Village, City Proper – 1
* Ticud, La Paz – 1
* Dulonan, Arevalo (LSI) – 1
* Bonifacio, Arevalo – 1
* Tanza Bonifacio, City Proper – 1
* Buhang, Jaro – 1
* Guzman-Jesena, Mandurriao – 1
* West Timawa, Molo – 1
* Lopez Jaena, Jaro – 1
* South Fundidor, Molo – 1
* AC Energy – 1
* Victory Road, Sampaguita, City Proper – 1
To recall, Treñas locked down barangays Cuartero and San Juan on Thursday, bringing to six the city’s villages under selective enhanced quarantine.
On Wednesday, Treñas also ordered the lockdown of barangays Pala-Pala 1 and 2, Tanza Baybay, and North Baluarte – villages surrounding the port complex.
There were also those who lived in Barangay Calumpang, Molo and Pototan, Iloilo (a security guard).
Other barangays under warning were Simon Ledesma, Jaro; Calumpang, Molo; Tanza Bonifacio, City Proper; and Bolilao and Airport in Mandurriao District.
According to Treñas, barangays under lockdown received food assistance from the city government.
Treñas also locked down Thursday the Iloilo Terminal Market, popularly known as “Super,” for 72 hours beginning 12:01 a.m. to allow disinfection of the premises.
Meanwhile, the city’s COVID-19 team focal person Dr. Roland Jay Fortuna said the Iloilo Fish Port Complex already submitted to the city mayor their protocols once it reopens.
He said some guidelines to implement include regular consistent sanitation, increase security at the area, increase hand washing area, one-way flow of traffic and logbook for sellers and buyers as an aid for contact tracing.
People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually./PN
