DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 16 May) — The city government here urged the public to avoid “unnecessary travels” to barangays with significant number of cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), classifying these areas as “very high risk,” “high risk” and “moderate risk.”
In a statement on Saturday, people were advised to avoid going to the public markets, supermarkets, and other establishments of the barangays marked as “Very High Risk,” “High Risk” and “Moderate Risk.”
Mayor Sara Duterte had earlier warned that easing up measures under the general community quarantine (GCQ) also poses the possibility of triggering a surge of cases in the city as more people will be allowed to go outside of their homes upon its implementation.
As of 5 p.m. on May 15, the city had 177 COVID-19 cases out of the Davao region’s 197.
Davao City was placed under community quarantine on March 15, enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from April 4 to May 15 and general community quarantine until May 31 but Section 1 of Duterte’s EO 33 states that the ECQ “in the entire city or specific barangay/s may be re-implemented at anytime upon the recommendation of the Epidemiologist and Infectious Disease Specialist doctors.
Executive Order No. 33
The city has 182 barangays. Fifty-six of these have been classified as risky areas.
Five barangays are tagged “Very High Risk,” 13-B, 21-C, 23-C, Buhangin Proper, and Leon Garcia; eight are “High Risk” and these are Barangays 5-A, 19-B, Agdao Proper, Catalunan Grande, Matina Crossing, Panacan, Talomo Proper, and Tigatto.
Seventeen Barangays have been classified as “High Risk” because of their proximity to “Very High Risk” areas: Barangays 12-B, 14-B, 16-B, 17-B, 18-B, 22-C, 24-C, 25-C, 26-C, 27-C, 28-C, 30-C, 31-D, 33-D, Governor Vicente Duterte, T. Monteverde, Sr., and barangay Wilfredo Aquino.
The nine “Moderate Risk” areas have been identified as Barangays 10-A, Bago Gallera, Cabantian, Dalio, Governor Paciano Bangoy, Indangan, Maa, Matina Aplaya, and Sto. Niño.
The city government also identified 17 other areas as “Moderate High Risks” barangays as they are also close to the identified “high risk” barangays. These are 2-A, 6-A, 8-A, 11-B, 15-B, 20-B, Bago Aplaya, Bucana, Cataluna Pequeño, Communal, Ilang, Langub, Mandug, Matina Pangi, Mudiang, Sasa, and Tacunan.
“Whenever possible, everyone is strongly urged to also avoid going to the malls, banks, hospitals, churches, and all other areas where people meet, congregate, or gather because of the higher chance of getting/contracting the virus,” the city government said. (Warren Elijah E. Valdez / MindaNews)
