2 barangays in Bontoc, Moutain Province on lockdown amid Covid variant surge

 MANILA, Philippines — The regional director of the Department of Health-Cordillera Administrative Region (DOH-CAR) on Saturday said that two barangays in Bontoc, Mountain Province were placed on lockdown after a surge in  Covid-19 variant  cases.

During an online press briefing, DOH-CAR Director Dr. Ruby Constantino also warned that should the local health care utilization rate continue to increase, the LGU will recommend to the Inter-Agency Task Force  for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) for the change of quarantine status for the entire region. 

Mountain Province is currently under moderate general community quarantine (MGCQ).

“Currently, the LGU of Bontoc municipality implemented the lockdown of the concerned barangays,” Constantino said. 

“But as per our meeting last night with the task group on the UK variant, if ever our health care utilization rate will continue to increase then they might recommend to the IATF for the changing of our quarantine status for the entire region from MGCQ to GCQ,” she added. 

“That is a very big challenge for us that we have to lower down our HCUR (healthcare utilization rate) because yesterday, we are almost at the danger zone because our facilities are almost fully occupied,” Constantino said 

This comes a day after the DOH announced that it detected 16 additional Covid-19 variant cases.

This variant is said to be 70 percent more infectious. 

Of the 16 new cases, 12 of them were detected in Bontoc, Mountain Province. 

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