DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 16 April) – After giving an order to confiscate gamefowls and cook them, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte warned to take down and burn basketball rings if residents are caught playing despite warnings from the local the government to avoid mass gathering to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection.
Duterte was reacting to a report that some individuals in barangays were still playing basketball in public, violating the quarantine protocols enforced by the city government.
She encouraged citizens to report the quarantine violators to authorities so that she could immediately order to remove the basketball rings many of which have already been burned.
“It’s a matter of reporting to us, so that we can take down the ring,” she said.
The mayor said she was discussing with Davao City Police Office director Col. Kirby Kraft on how the local government can strengthen the implementation of the quarantine.
Duterte said the local chief executives in Davao Region have agreed to extend the 15-day enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), which will end on April 19, for another seven days or until April 26.
In an interview over Davao City Disaster Radio 87.5 on Wednesday, Duterte, chair of the Davao Regional Task Force Covid-19, said all the mayors and governors of Region 11 agreed to extend until April 26 the region-wide quarantine.
The regional ECQ ends on Sunday, April 19.
Although health authorities here reported zero new cases on some days, Duterte said the number continued to rise, prompting them to suggest the extension. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
