LAOAG CITY – The coastal town of Currimao in Ilocos Norte has been added to the eight towns and two cities of Ilocos Norte which are currently under indefinite localized modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) due to continuing increase of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the province.
This was stated in the Executive Order of Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc on Monday afternoon saying there is a need to place the municipality of Currimao along with Bangui, Dingras, Dumalneg, Marcos, Pagudpud, Paoay, Pasuquin, and Solsona towns, as well the cities of Laoag and Batac under MECQ to slow down the spread of the new variants which are already confirmed present here.
The governor has also intensified the strict monitoring of curfew hours from 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m., and liquor ban to regulate the movement of people and avoid social gatherings.
Amidst the intermittent rainfall and strong winds brought about by the southwest monsoon, personnel of the Philippine National Police take turns in manning the towns and cities border checkpoints under makeshift tents while village authorities particularly in locked down areas have designated only one entrance and exit point to monitor the movement of people.
“With the current bad weather, I hope people will refrain from going out if not necessary,” said a police officer on Tuesday whose uniform was already wet while manning a village checkpoint along the Pila Road in this city.
While under MECQ, many government workers here have opted to work from home as several municipal halls, rural health units, and national government offices in Ilocos Norte have temporarily closed to give way for disinfection after some of their employees tested positive of Covid-19.
Like in the case of Forester Noemi Ruadap, Environment and Natural Resources Officer in Bangui, Ilocos Norte, she said that a lot of their target projects were already affected due to the pandemic.
“It’s tempting to just stay in bed and have some rest while in isolation but I am thinking of the many paper works that we have to submit to meet our yearly target. A lot of our schedules were postponed because of this pandemic,” she said while she was isolated for 14 days and has been working from home for almost a week now.
On July 26, Ilocos Norte has logged a total of 283 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths, bringing the total active cases to 2,502.
Residents are reminded to practice minimum health standards to avoid being infected with the virus while waiting to be vaccinated. (PNA)
Source: Philippines News Agency
