MANILA, Philippines – Quezon City has placed 20 areas inside 5 barangays with high numbers of active coronavirus cases under a special form of lockdown. 

The so-called “special concern lockdown” will be in place for 14 days, from May 13 to May 26, according to a Quezon City press release on Tuesday, May 12.

The areas to be locked down are in the following barangays:

• Barangay Bahay Toro (21 active cases)
• Barangay Culiat (37 active cases)
• Barangay Sauyo (19 active cases)
• Barangay Batasan Hills (29 active cases)
• Barangay Tatalon (17 active cases)

Active cases are coronavirus patients who have yet to recover from the disease.

It’s a figure monitored by the Quezon City government to keep track of persons who can still infect others with the virus, although asymptomatic people who are not yet confirmed cases can also spread the disease.

The “special concern lockdown” applies to only a portion of a barangay with a high concentration of active cases. It can be a road, a compound, or a block, said Assistant City Administrator for Operations Alberto Kimpo.

The measure allows the city to keep other parts of the concerned barangays under less stringent quarantine measures.

Quezon City, as with the rest of Metro Manila, remains under enhanced community quarantine until May 15. It will then be under modified ECQ from May 16 to 31. 

“We are also looking at the high-density populations that aren’t able to practice quarantine protocols, where there is strong likelihood of infecting each other. From there, we will intensify community-based testing and quarantine,” Kimpo said in Filipino.

The city’s Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (ESU) will monitor the 20 areas to check if they are free of active cases by May 26.

Police, military called in

Police personnel and soldiers have been tapped to help enforce the “special concern lockdown.”

Three soldiers (one regular officer and two reservists) and two police personnel from the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) will be deployed to accompany staff from the city’s ESU when they monitor or conduct tests in the 20 areas.

“More than 200 members of the QCPD-AFP-SAF contingent will undergo training on the process of implementing quarantine rules and monitoring of confirmed and possible COVID-19 cases,” said Rolly Cruz, head of the Quezon City ESU.

Quezon City continues to have the highest total coronavirus cases in Metro Manila, with 1,589 cases as of Monday, May 11. It also reports having 688 active cases.

With 5 new deaths reported on Monday, the city’s coronavirus death toll is currently at 138. – Rappler.com