MANILA, Philippines — Starting on Monday, Pasig City residents would be allowed to leave their homes only two days a week under a “barangay coding” scheme, a measure that Mayor Vico Sotto said was drastic but necessary to forcefully curb the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The scheme was piloted at the Pasig Mega Market — the beating heart of the city’s local economy — which had been plagued by crowds despite the enhanced community quarantine in place since March.
The local government said those crowds had visibly thinned in the last week.
Under barangay coding, residents of only 10 barangays will be allowed each day to run essential errands.
Pasig’s 30 barangays were earlier grouped into three clusters based on population.
“We are asking each Pasigeño to make a small sacrifice,” Sotto said in a live briefing on Monday. “We don’t want to implement this barangay coding but we need to make sacrifices to end this quarantine.”
—Matthew Reysio-Cruz