6 more Manila barangays locked down due to COVID cases spike

BY MINKA TIANGCO

Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso placed six more barangays under a four-day lockdown starting Wednesday, March 17, to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The mayor made the move as he announced that the rising occupancy rate of hospitals and quarantine facilities in the capital city is already a “red flag”.

Domagoso signed on Monday Executive Order No. 7, Series of 2021, placing six more barangays under lockdown from 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, March 17, until 11:59 p.m. on Saturday.

CRITICAL ZONES

The areas to be locked down are Barangay 185, Zone 16 in Tondo 2; Barangay 374, Zone 38, Sta. Cruz; Barangay 521, Zone 52, Sampaloc; Barangay 628, Zone 63, Sta. Mesa; Barangay 675, Zone 74, Paco; and Barangay 847, Zone 92, Pandacan.

Domagoso authorized the Manila Barangay Bureau to enforce lockdowns in barangays with 10 or more active COVID-19 cases.

According to the order, Barangay 185 has 11 active COVID-19 cases; Barangay 374, Barangay 628, and Barangay 847 each have 10 cases; Barangay 521 has 12 cases; and Barangay 675 has 22 cases.

These areas will be called “Critical Zones” that will observe Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) measures, which is so far the strictest quarantine classification implemented in the country.

The Manila mayor said disease surveillance, massive contact tracing, verification or testing, and rapid risk assessment will be conducted during the lockdown.

Barangay officials and members of the Manila Police District will be deployed to ensure the proper implementation of the lockdown.

On March 9, Domagoso placed Barangay 351 in San Lazaro, Barangay 725 in Malate, and Malate Bayview Hotel and Hop Inn Hotel, both at Barangay 699 in Malate, under lockdown from March 11 to 14.

RED FLAG

Also, the mayor raised the alarm over the rising bed capacity for COVID-19 patients in the city’s health facilities Domagoso said out of 304 COVID-19 beds in the city’s district hospitals, 124 or 41 percent are occupied.

Meanwhile, 393 out of 540 beds in Manila’s isolation facilities, or around 73 percent, are also in use.

The Manila mayor noted that the figures are a “big jump” from the numbers that were reported on Friday, March 12.

“Red flag, ibig sabihin, dapat nang mangamba. We’re trying to be honest with you with the situation. Huwag kayong mag-alala. Basta kami, gagawin namin ang dapat naming gawin,” he added.

Domagoso said there is a “high possibility” that the presence of new COVID-19 variants in the country may have led to the sudden spike in the number of infections.

Data from the Manila city government showed that as of March 14, Manila has at least 1,549 active cases out of 30,824 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Of this number, 28,451 have recovered while 824 have died.

He appealed to the public to vigilantly continue practicing minimum health protocols like physical distancing and the wearing of face masks and face shields.