The town of Bingawan in Iloilo province has been placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the strictest form of lockdown, to halt the further spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Mayor Mark Palabrica decided to implement again ECQ protocols after their town recorded six indigenous or local cases of the dreaded disease.

“Ibalik naton ang PNP (Philippine Natuonal Police) checkpoint kag implementasyon [sa paggamit sang quarantine passes]. Ginahingyo ko ang bulig kag kooperasyon sang mga barangay officials sa pagpatigayon sini,” he said in a statement.

The mayor’s order took effect midnight of July 13 and will remain in place until further notice.

According to Palabrica, the six patients are personnel of the Rural Health Unit (RHU). They are the following:

▪59-year-old female
▪32-year-old male
▪31-year-old female
▪34-year-old female
▪29-year-old female
▪33-year-old male

“Ini sila nakaquarantine na sa aton Municipal Isolation Facility,” Palabrica said.

Contact tracers have already started tracking down the close contacts of the six infected RHU personnel.

“Ginapangabay ang tanan nga nakatransaksyon sa aton RHU halin sang June 27 nga magpakig-angot sa aton contact tracing team sa numero 0977-857-7457 for contact tracing purposes. Aton i-require nga magpa-swab test ang tanan nga close contact sang nagpositibo,” Palabrica said.

The mayor also ordered the temporary closure of RHU for three days from July 13 to 15 to pave the way for disinfection of the premises.

“Wala anay sang pisikal nga transaksyon sa aton munisipyo sa nasambit nga mga inadlaw. Ang aton mga empleyado magapadayon sa pag-obra sang ila mga obligasyon paagi sa work-from-home arrangement,” Palabrica said.

“Para sa inyo importante kag urgent nga mga kinahanglanon pwede kamo makacontact sa Office of the Mayor sa numero: 09255457705,” he added.

Palabrica appealed to his constituents to cooperate with the local governemnt unit and to stay calm.

“Kun mahimo magpabilin gid anay sa sulod sang panimalay kag padayunon ang pag-obserbar sang social distancing, maghugas pirme sang kamot kag magsuksok sang face mask,” he said.IMT