Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba. Screengrab from Laging Handa briefing
MANILA, Philippines — Cagayan province Governor Manuel Mamba on Tuesday said he has endorsed a 10-day implementation of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) or the strictest quarantine measure in Tuguegarao City to arrest the increase of COVID-19 transmissions there.
“I endorsed the same. Prior to this kasi, noong dumadami na nung December 15, nagsasabi na ako ng MECQ [modified ECQ] pero ang inayunan pa rin nila is yung MGCQ [modified general community quarantine]. But this time, mas lalong dumami kasi and our local transmissions, community transmission is almost 40 percent of the cases,” Mamba said in a televised briefing.
(Prior to this, when the cases increased last Dec. 15, I urged to shift to MECQ but we were placed under MGCQ. This time, the cases increased even more and our community transmission is almost 40 percent of the cases.)
“But I’m still praying po na ‘yung 10 days na ECQ nila ay they will have control sa COVID at noon ko pa naman sinasabi sa kanila na they have to study yung kanilang community quarantine status kasi ang hirap icontrol kung ang community quarantine status ay masyadong maluwag,” he added.
(But I’m still praying that in the 10 days of ECQ, they will have control against COVID. I’ve been telling them to study their community quarantine status because it would be hard to control transmission if it’s too loose.)
Out of 373 COVID-19 cases in the province, Mamba said 236 were recorded from Tuguegarao City.
Mamba said the upsurge in cases is probably a result of the flooding in the province in the latter part of 2020 and the recent holiday season.
“Hindi na bumababa [ang cases] since bumaha and then after the Christmas season, may upsurge nanaman so I think it’s a summation ng lahat ng ito na nagko-cause ng maraming cases,” he said.
(The cases did not decrease since after the floods happened and then after Christmas season, there was another upsurge so I think it’s a summation of all of these that caused the increase in cases.)
On Jan. 15, the province of Cagayan recorded five deaths related to COVID-19 in the last 15 days which alarmed health officials there.