E. Samar town under 14-day lockdown due to virus threat

By Lizbeth Ann Abella

January 1, 2021, 6:53 pm

<p><strong>LOCKDOWN</strong>. Guiuan, Eastern Samar Mayor Annaliza Gonzales Kwan is shown in this Dec. 16, 2020 photo. The official has placed the town under hard lockdown until mid-January as the local government moved to stop the rising cases of Covid-19. <em>(Photo courtesy of Guiuan local government)</em></p>

LOCKDOWN. Guiuan, Eastern Samar Mayor Annaliza Gonzales Kwan is shown in this Dec. 16, 2020 photo. The official has placed the town under hard lockdown until mid-January as the local government moved to stop the rising cases of Covid-19. (Photo courtesy of Guiuan local government)

TACLOBAN CITY – The town of Guiuan, Eastern Samar has been placed under hard lockdown until mid-January as the local government moves to stop the rising cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

The movement restrictions will bar the entry of non-essential travels to the coastal town facing the Pacific Ocean from Dec. 30, 2020 to Jan. 13, 2021, said Guiuan Mayor Annaliza Gonzales Kwan in a post on Friday.

“Public and private gatherings are prohibited and leisure and sports activities are suspended. A community curfew is in effect from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.,” Kwan said.

As decided by the local inter-agency task force, only medical workers and authorized persons outside the residence with essential transactions will be allowed to go out of their houses for as long they can show a health certificate issued by the local health office.

The town’s borders are also closed for non-essential movement.

As of Dec. 30, Guiuan town has 75 active Covid-19 cases, the highest in Eastern Samar province. The town recorded 355 percent growth rate in two weeks and a daily average of 10 new cases, placing the town under the critical category, according to the mayor.

Kwan added that the “Oplan Sita” in every village will be set up while businesses and transport will continue to operate, but should strictly comply with existing health protocols, orders, and policies.

“Everyone’s cooperation, support, and compliance are required to contain the spread of Covid-19 in our municipality,” the mayor said.

Guiuan is 154 kilometers east of Tacloban City, the regional capital. Its 60 villages have a population of about 53,000. It is the only town in Eastern Samar with the highest number of island villages. (PNA)

 

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