LOCKDOWN. The town hall of Tanauan in Leyte. The local government on Friday (Aug. 21, 2020) placed eight communities under lockdown to prevent the potential spread of coronavirus disease. (Photo courtesy of Annie Limpiado)
TANAUAN, Leyte – Eight communities here were placed under lockdown on Friday to prevent the potential spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Mayor Pelagio Tecson Jr. signed Executive No. 28 enforcing the strict movement restriction in the villages of Licod, Camire, Zone 1 in San Roque, Zones 5 and 6 in Sta. Elena, GK Peninsula relocation site in Maribi, and Zone 4 in Cahumayhumayan.
“Households identified and verified as close contacts of confirmed coronavirus patients in these areas are placed on strict home quarantine and neighboring households shall only be allowed to go out for essential purposes only,” Tecson said.
Intensive contact tracing will be done during the lockdown period and will only be lifted once confirmatory test results of identified closed contacts are negative.
“This will facilitate the conduct of contact tracing activities and ensure confinement of suspects,” Tecson said.
The local government unit has also requested the provincial and regional inter-agency task force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to upgrade its quarantine status from modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) to GCQ.
This will suspend non-essential businesses, activities, mass gatherings, and limit travel, especially to high-risk areas as a proactive measure to contain the spread of the virus, Tecson said.
The Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed the local transmission of Covid-19 in Tanauan.
The town is among areas in the region identified by the DOH with clustering of cases, or communities with two or more cases.
As of Wednesday, the town has 18 active cases, 10 housed in the local isolation unit, five admitted in Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Tacloban City, two in Leyte Provincial Hospital, and one Schistosomiasis Control and Research Hospital, both in Palo, Leyte. (PNA)
