More than 600 broke curfew during Cordillera quarantine

BAGUIO CITY –– More than 600 people broke Cordillera quarantine rules that were imposed to spare upland residents from being infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), said Police Brig. General R’win Pagkalinawan, Cordillera police director, in a statement on Friday.

Of the 619 arrests, 177 were made in Baguio for violating the 24-hour curfew.

The mountain city has four confirmed COVID cases, according to the Baguio public information office, which prompted the police to intensify quarantine enforcement.

More than 600 people broke Cordillera quarantine rules that were imposed to spare upland residents from being infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), said Police Brig. General R’win Pagkalinawan, Cordillera police director, in a statement on Friday.

Of the 619 arrests, 177 were made in Baguio for violating the 24-hour curfew.

The mountain city has four confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to the Baguio public information office, which prompted the police to intensify quarantine enforcement.

The Baguio government said the list of COVID-19 patients includes a 61-year-old migrant worker, who returned from Italy.

The city also listed a 52-year old woman, a 55-year old man, and a 23-year old man, who all came from Manila.

Residents of 128 barangays now have schedules for going to the market to buy food or medicines, to reduce the number of people out on the streets. Sundays have been designated as total lockdown days.

This week, Mayor Benjamin Magalong placed Barangay Pinget under total lockdown for refusing to heed curfew rules.

Benguet policemen arrested 137 quarantine violators.

The police in Mountain Province detained 78, while policemen in Abra, which has the first recorded COVID case in the Cordillera, made 37 arrests.

The Cordillera police said 165 people have also been charged for hoarding or profiteering.

Edited by LZB