BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
BAMBANG, Nueva Vizcaya (April 10)—Tuguegarao City, the newest Covid-19 epicenter, has recorded 724 active cases as of Wednesday, prompting the local government to place the city under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) status.
“The city’s ECQ status will only be for 10 days but due to the significant increase of Covid-19 positive cases since March, the ECQ status was extended until April 12,” Dr. James Guzman, city health officer, said.
Guzman added that the city has already recorded 2,572 confirmed coronavirus cases with 28 deaths since last year.
“Our isolation facilities are already full. We have several community transmission cases in which the majority are our frontliners and those working in government institutions,” he said.
The city government maintains five isolation facilities of a 32-bed container van facility, an 18-room dormitory-type facility, the Peoples General Hospital, 36 rooms at the old Department of Education Schools Division Office and another 50 rooms at the Cagayan National High School senior high building.
“We know that one of the reasons why there is fast transmission in the workplaces is the Filipino custom of dining together. They remove their masks of course when they eat together and there, transmission occurs,” Guzman said urging employees to refrain from dining together at the same time.
He added that disinfection on a regular basis should also be done in workplaces and also at home to lessen the transmission of the virus.
Meanwhile, among the 29 Cagayan province towns and a city, Santa Praxedes, which was the sole Covid-free municipality, recorded its first case last week.
In Isabela, all 36 towns and three cities were not spared by the virus, including coastal municipalities that were Covid-free last year.
All 15 towns of Nueva Vizcaya province were also infected, including top local officials from provincial down to the municipal level with deaths.
Quirino province is now under modified enhanced community quarantine over a surge of cases in all of its six towns.
In the island province of Batanes, the towns of Mahatao, Uyugan, Ivana and Itbayat have not registered any Covid-19 cases.
The municipalities of Basco and Sabtang, have already recorded cases, however.
According to the Department of Health (DoH) in Region 2, Batanes has been implementing very strict quarantine protocols, requiring arriving Ivatans to undergo 14-day quarantine before roaming the province.
Meanwhile, Dr. Rio Magpantay, DoH Region 2 director, said mild and asymptomatic cases should no longer be brought to the hospital to reserve the hospital beds for severe and critical cases, considering that referral hospitals are now full.
Magpantay reminded local officials to ensure that those under home isolation are in a separate room with a comfort room and area for dining to avoid close contact with other family members.