ENHANCED QUARANTINE. Sarangani Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon (left) and Dr. Arvin Alejandro (right), provincial health officer, inspect a border checkpoint in Alabel town on Friday. The entire province was placed under general community quarantine starting Thursday (March 19, 2020) to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019. (Photo courtesy of the Provincial Information Office)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Heightened quarantine measures have been implemented in Sarangani province while South Cotabato and this city are set to follow in the next two days as local governments in the region agreed to consolidate efforts to contain the deadly coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Sarangani was placed under general community quarantine starting Thursday based on Executive Order (EO) 08 issued by Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon.
Solon issued the declaration a day after the Regional Peace and Order Council and Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council 12 (Soccsksargen) recommended the implementation of enhanced community quarantine and control measures.
The two regional bodies also urged local government units (LGUs) to synchronize their curfew hours to complement the region-wide control mechanisms.
Sarangani curfew
Engineer Gerald Faciol, assistant provincial administrator of Sarangani, said the general community quarantine would further heighten the preventive measures earlier implemented by the local government.
However, Faciol made it clear that the new measures would not rise to the level of a "lockdown".
He said EO 8 has set the curfew at 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. and prohibits all non-essential travels to and from the province but allows those for health services, work-related, emergency response, peace and order, and delivery of food and other basic commodities.
The movement of people, especially those considered vulnerable to infection, such as the elderly, pregnant women, minors, and those suffering from various illnesses, is discouraged and everyone should just stay home if necessary, he said.
“Disinfection activities will be conducted in the entire province every four days, focusing on areas with persons under monitoring and patients under investigation for Covid-19,” he said.
Calibrated lockdown in SoCot
In South Cotabato, the provincial government will implement starting midnight Friday a 14-day enhanced community quarantine and calibrated total lockdown.
Lawyer Marnito Cosep, provincial legal officer, said in a press conference the move was decided during a meeting on Thursday afternoon of the province’s inter-agency task force against Covid-19.
Cosep said non-residents of the province would not be allowed entry while returning residents would only get passage if they agree to undergo the mandatory 14-day home quarantine.
The movement of medical personnel, emergency, and rescue volunteers and staff, civil servants, and persons seeking medical attention will be allowed, he said.
Cosep said they would open special lanes in the highway checkpoints for vehicles delivering food supplies and related goods.
The operation of all types of public transportation will be suspended during the lockdown period unless lifted sooner by the governor, he said.
Cosep said they encouraged shopping malls and related establishments to only open their supermarkets, pharmacies, and outlets selling essential commodities.
“We have to do this as we observed that many people were still moving around and going to our malls, although the preemptive lockdown was already in effect,” he said.
The provincial government placed the province last Tuesday under preemptive lockdown to limit the movement of residents.
Travel restriction, curfew
In this city, the local government will also implement enhanced community quarantine measures starting Monday based on a recommendation from the city’s inter-agency task force against Covid-19.
Dr. Rochelle Oco, acting city health officer and co-chairperson of the task force, said the move aims to encourage residents to remain in their homes.
“The best way to stop the spread of the disease is for everyone to stay home,” she told reporters.
The city government, which has been implementing travel restriction and curfew since March 14, had earlier convened various agencies and stakeholders to ensure the smooth implementation of the enhanced community quarantine.
Among the measures considered is the distribution of food packs to ease the impact of the quarantine on poor residents. (PNA)
