218 Navotas families on lockdown

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 218 families living at a Navotas City government housing site have been restricted to their homes for two weeks after eight residents tested positive for the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

NavotaAs Residences, a medium-rise building (MRB) in Barangay San Roque, was placed on lockdown until July 12 to prevent the spread of the infectious disease and give city officials enough time to look into the cause.

Essential workers exempted

Similar to the lockdown implemented on H. Monroy Street — where there was an increase in COVID-19 cases—the 218 families at the government housing project would not be allowed to step out of the residential building, excluding front-liners or those considered as essential workers by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. Also exempted were employees of the Navotas Fish Port Complex.

Executive Order No. 035 series of 2020, which Mayor Toby Tiangco signed on Sunday, strictly required senior citizens and those 21 years old and below to remain at home except in case of a medical emergency.

“Data shows that Barangay San Roque, particularly the NavotaAs MRB, has been identified as a venue where there is a high possibility of local transmission of COVID-19 cases,” Tiangco said in his order.

As of Monday afternoon, there were 32 confirmed cases in the barangay, with two fatalities and nine recoveries.

Relief packages available

Tiangco assured NavotaAs residents that they should not worry about food during the lockdown, which began on Monday morning, as relief packages would be distributed.

The Bureau of Fire Protection was also ordered to conduct disinfection procedures in the building.

The city government earlier lifted the lockdown on H. Monroy Street, another virus “hot spot” in the city, on June 24. This was after a family event held in a house on May 19 led to an increase of COVID-19 cases in Navotas West.

Ten of those who had attended the party later tested positive for the coronavirus, with one eventually dying of the infection. Nine days after the gathering, the confirmed cases in the barangay rose to 6. The figure then jumped to 12 and doubled to 24 after nearly a week, prompting a two-week lockdown in the area.