Pampanga checkpoints, Isabela city liquor ban to curb COVID surges

STOP At the height of the community quarantine, checkpoints were installed in borders of provinces in Luzon as a measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease. In Pampanga, these checkpoints are reactivated due to surging COVID-19 cases. —WILLIE LOMIBAO

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Checkpoints and surveillance operations in 505 villages in Pampanga province have been activated for three days starting Christmas Day to control the spread of the coronavirus disease, officials said.

In an executive order, Gov. Dennis Pineda also required visitors, including those staying with their relatives in the province, to first present negative results from rapid antigen tests or RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) tests taken four days before entry.

Pineda also prohibited caroling and house-to-house family reunions during the holidays. Children aged 15 or younger and senior citizens who are 65 or older were still barred from leaving their homes except when buying essential items or during health emergencies. Wearing face masks and face shields, already mandatory in Pampanga, was also reiterated in the order.

28 new infecions

In Santiago City in Isabela province, Mayor Joseph Tan imposed a liquor ban on Dec. 24 and 25 and on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, 2021, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections.

Listed as among the areas with the highest COVID-19 attack rate at 14.4 percent, the city ranks behind the mining town of Mankayan, Benguet province, which has a 59-percent attack rate. Also on that list are Baguio City, La Trinidad in Benguet, and Makati City.

This week, Santiago City recorded 28 new infections, raising the number of active cases to 156. A 3-year-old boy was the youngest patient while the eldest was a 71-year-old man.Tan said he would impose a zonal containment of neighborhoods where the patients live while the city remained under general community quarantine. —TONETTE OREJAS AND VILLAMOR VISAYA JR. INQ