DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 26 October) – Despite the recent spike in the number of new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases here, a city-wide lockdown will not be implemented, Mayor Sara Duterte said on Monday.
During a live interview over the Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR 87.5), Duterte refuted a post circulating on Facebook, which claimed that the local government will issue a guideline on October 28 for the supposed implementation of a city-wide lockdown from October 29 to November 4 due to the spike in COVID-19 cases.
“The information circulating about the city-wide lockdown is false. Of course, we have lockdowns – barangay, purok, compound and house lockdowns. We have that, but for a Davao City-wide lockdown, there’s no such move from the city government,” she said.
As of October 26, the mayor said the local government placed 82 houses and one office building on lockdown across the city.
The local chief executive appealed to the public to avoid spreading information unless they have checked the announcement with the official social media accounts of the local government, or those reported by local media outlets.
On Sunday, the Department of Health (DOH)-Davao reported 134 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 4,764 with 1,154 active cases, 3,444 recoveries and 166 deaths.
Of the total, 3,228 cases were reported in Davao City, 280 in Davao de Oro, 512 in Davao del Norte, 330 in Davao del Norte, 96 in Davao Occidental and 318 in Davao Oriental.
Duterte warned Dabawenyos to refrain from going to Barangays 4-A, 16-B, 22-C, 25-C and Leon Garcia because these are considered “very high risk” areas for COVID-19.
She stressed the strategy of the local health authorities in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak is “test, trace and treat.”
Duterte said that local health authorities are testing not only the suspected patients but also the persons who come in direct contact with both confirmed COVID-19 cases and their close contacts.
The local government reimposed the curfew and liquor ban from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. last October 15, which would end this December 31, unless lifted earlier. The measure was reinstated to control the movement of the public for “non-essential” activities.
On October 23, the local government also released Executive Order 56, which provides for the adoption of “other alternative work arrangement” or the combination of the skeleton workforce, work-from-home and staggered working hours in public and private offices until the end of this year.
