In Quezon, governor mulls return to MECQ

LUCENA CITY — Gov. Danilo Suarez of Quezon is seriously considering a return to the stringent modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) amid a continuing rise of new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the province.

Suarez said that even if the province was registering high number of recoveries, which totaled to 905 out of the 1,360 cases recorded since the pandemic broke out in March, it remained worrisome that Quezon is logging double-digit new infections on a daily basis this month, with 23 new cases listed on Thursday alone.

Suarez, however, added he would first consult the mayors before he would make the decision since “there would be serious implications to the local economy once we return to the MECQ. “

MECQ imposes limited movement of people while only selected manufacturing and processing plants will be allowed to open at 50 percent of their capacity. Quezon is currently under the modified general community quarantine until Sept. 30, which allowed businesses to open and the free movement of the public provided they follow health protocols like the wearing of face masks and face shields.

On March 16 to June 30, when the province was on strict lockdown, it only recorded 160 COVID-19 cases, rising to 703 in August when the province was placed on general community quarantine. From Sept. 1 to Sept. 10, Quezon recorded 279 fresh cases. Quezon still has 412 active virus carriers, with 43 deaths.

Infected inmates

In Calapan City in Oriental Mindoro province, the provincial jail has become the epicenter of new cases after 15 of its prisoners accounted for 25 of new infections recorded in the city on Thursday.

Calapan Mayor Arnan Panaligan, in a social media post, said the number could still increase since several of the 188 inmates that were tested for the virus were still awaiting results.

The ten other new cases included two employees of the local Pag-ibig office, three family members of an employee of a motorcycle store from Barangay Bulusan (Xevera), who earlier tested positive for COVID-19, four from another family in Barangay Silonay where one member had died of the virus, and an employee of the City Environment and Natural Resources Department located at the City Hall compound here.

The city has 218 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Thursday, 87 of which were active cases, with 128 recoveries and three deaths. —DELFIN T. MALLARI JR. AND MADONNA VIROLA