MANILA, Philippines — Two communities in Quezon City will be placed on an “extreme enhanced community quarantine” while road closures will be imposed starting 6 a.m. on Thursday as preventive measures against the spread of COVID-19.
Quezon City officials explained during a press conference on Wednesday that Barangay Kalusugan and Barangay Tandang Sora would be under heightened community quarantine because each community was found to have three residents infected with the highly-contagious respiratory disease caused by a coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2.
“We have decided to use strict community quarantine after meeting with the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) and other concerned agencies and offices,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said in a statement issued after the press briefing.
“This way, we will help prevent the spread of the virus to nearby areas and keep other parts of the community safe,” she added.
In the same press conference, city authorities also said that access to a portion of East Avenue – from Elliptical Road up to BIR Road, where the Philippine Heart Center (PHC), National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI), and East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC) are located – would be restricted.
A 500-meter quarantine radius will be implemented around the three government-run hospitals in the city, the local government said, and that “public control” will be implemented along Matalino Street adjacent to PHC.
Mike Marasigan, head of the city’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said checkpoints manned by Quezon City policemen will be established along this area of East Avenue to screen and monitor those who must pass it.
Belmonte earlier issued a memorandum controlling public access to the three city-based national hospitals as well as the Philippine Lung Center.
“Based on her memorandum, all persons entering and exiting these hospitals will be subjected to thorough health checks and temperature scans while their names, address and phone number will be recorded for purposes of contact tracing,” the statement of the Quezon City government noted.
Access to a portion of E. Rodriguez – from Trinity College up to Broadway Avenue – will also be limited since St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) is located in this area. Marasigan said PHC, NKTI, EAMC, and SLMC are under “facility quarantine.”
Likewise placed under facility quarantine was the Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC), thus, Marasigan said, checkpoints would also be set-up along this area.
Hot Zone and Warm Zone
The Quezon City government also decided to restrict the movement of people residing inside a “hot zone” and “warm zone.”
Marasigan defined hot zone as the house of a person found positive for COVID-19, and warm zone as the area within the 500 perimeter radius around the hot zone. He said people in the hot zone will not be allowed to leave the residence while those in the warm zone will be subjected to strict monitoring and surveillance.
“Ibig sabihin lang po ng hot zone dito po natin gagawin ‘yong extreme enhanced quarantine dito sa mismong bahay, so hindi na po natin papayagan ‘yong mga nakatira doon na lumabas at may pumasok pang iba, so babantayan na po natin ‘yan 24/7,” Marasigan said during the press briefing.
“Kapag warm zone naman within the 500 perimeter radius, dito naman po ipapatupad ang ating strict monitoring and surveillance in and out of the areas, so it’s an area quarantine which is identified by the incident management team, ang QCPD will set-up quarantine checkpoints,” he added.
In a subsequent statement, Belmonte said the local government will provide food and other basic needs to residents in the hot zone.
On the other hand, only one person per household within the warm zone will be allowed to go out and purchase food and other needs.
Belmonte said there are 29 residents of the city already infected with COVID-19. She also said they have recorded one fatality from the disease while three patients are now recovering.
According to the local government, persons showing COVID-19 symptoms will be placed in isolation and prevented from leaving until allowed by the hospital’s appropriate authority.
If any person is allowed to leave or considered as Person Under Monitoring, the hospital will coordinate with the City Health Department for the implementation of the home quarantine, it added. Gabriel Pabico Lalu, INQUIRER.net
RELATED STORIES
‘Coronavirus cases in PH may peak at 75,000 in 3 months’
15 new COVID-19 cases bring total to 202