MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police (PNP) will field police chiefs and other commanders to supervise the quarantine checkpoints that were set up to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.
Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Luis Licup of the PNP Directorate for Operations issued a memorandum dated March 23 directing all quarantine control points (QCPs), including those manned by barangay officials, to be coordinated with the authorities forming the Joint Task Force Coronavirus Shield (JTF CV Shield), from the local up to the national level.
The checkpoints aim to restrict movement of people who have no pressing need to travel while the enhanced community quarantine is in effect all over Luzon.
“In this regard, all unit commanders/ COPs (chief of police) shall ensure that all established QCPs at the Municipal and Barangay level are properly supervised. Likewise, ensure that it operates in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the national government,” Licup said.
The JTF CV Shield is composed by members of the PNP, the Armed Forces of the Philippines,the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Fire Protection. It is headed by Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar.
The unit commanders are ordered to submit to the directoate reports on their actions and their results.
As of Wednesday, Luzon remained under an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
According to health officials, as of this writing, 636 patients have been infected with COVID-19, of whom 38 have died and 26 have recovered.
Around the world, over 416,000 COVID-19 cases have been recorded, of whom 18,507 patients have died and 101,090 have recovered.
READ: Luzon now under ‘enhanced community quarantine’ – Palace
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The COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus that first emerged in Wuhan City in Hubei province in China in late 2019.
The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses named the novel coronavirus as SARS-CoV-2.
The coronavirus is a family of viruses with surfaces having a crown-like appearance. The viruses are named for the spikes on their surfaces.
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