Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 24) — Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, who is now spearheading the COVID-19 fight in Cebu City, is considering placing under lockdown after June 30 certain barangays with high incidence of infection.
The city has been placed under an enhanced community quarantine until the end of the month due to a continued rise in confirmed cases.
It has registered 4,539 infections as of June 24, making it the city in the country worst-hit by the coronavirus.
In a press conference Wednesday, Cimatu said he will recommend the shift to the barangay lockdown approach, which he also labeled as a “granular lockdown,” if the situation in the area becomes more manageable.
Alongside the upsurge in cases, the national government earlier pointed out that the critical care capacity in the city is reaching “dangerous levels,” with some hospitals running out of beds for COVID-19 patients. After his visit to quarantine facilities and hospitals, Cimatu also noted the need to address the lack of medical frontliners.
On Thursday, Cimatu is scheduled to meet again with local officials to draft the policy on securing new quarantine passes. This came after Mayor Edgardo Labella ordered on Tuesday night the cancellation of all 250,000 quarantine passes issued by the city government.
Labella said they are looking at implementing a “one quarantine pass per household” policy, and added that the city residents could expect the new guidelines after Thursday’s meeting.
Meanwhile, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia announced that there will be strict border controls for leaving Cebu City to the rest of Cebu Province starting 12:01 midnight of June 27. Travel to and from Cebu City will likewise be restricted, she said.
Cebu-based stringer Dale Israel contributed to this report.
