BY OLIVER T. BACCAY, PIA
TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (August 25)—The Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF) for coronavirus disease 2019 (Cocid-19) Cagayan Valley has placed this city under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
Mayor Jefferson Soriano said the officialdom here found it necessary to place the city under MECQ to arrest the spike of Covid-19 positive cases.
He said there are 22 active cases in the city including seven police officers who were infected after a non-uniformed police was tested positive of Covid-19.
“We requested for a 10-day MECQ. This is a little bit harsh, but this is our decision to control the further spread of the virus in the city and to avoid further community transmissions,” Soriano said.
He also stated that there are already 10 barangays (villages) affected by the pandemic, 21 police officers isolated, while the city police station and some of its units are under lockdown.
“But we are thankful to the regional and provincial commands for sending police officers in the city to augment our forces as some of our police are now isolated. We assure the public that we have enough police personnel to ensure the security in the city,” Soriano added.
Tuguegarao City is the trade and commerce center of Region 2 as well as the seat of the regional government and that the MECQ status of the city will not hamper the operation of all government entities, he said.
He also stated that economic activities will continue because they need to balance economy and health.
“The only difference with that of the modified general community quarantine is that there will be limited movement and no public transport allowed for 10 days,” Soriano said.
He also stressed that public gatherings such as festivals, birthdays, weddings and religious, among others, will not be allowed under MECQ.