Parts of Makati, Munti also go on lockdown

LESSON FOR QC BOYS A member of Quezon City’s Task Force Disiplina apprehends two youths for not wearing face shields in Barangay Bagong Pag-asa on Saturday. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

A year after President Duterte announced a lockdown in Metro Manila, mobility among residents has been restricted anew in more areas in the capital region, with some neighborhoods in the cities of Muntinlupa and Makati placed under localized community quarantine (LCQ) on Saturday.

Residents in these communities are prohibited from stepping out of their homes. But authorities have assured them that food packs would be distributed and house-to-house swab tests would also be conducted.

Commercial establishments within these zones are not allowed to operate.

‘Extreme LCQ’

Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi ordered on Saturday a 14-day “extreme LCQ” on Cruzero Street in Villa Carolina 1, Barangay Tunasan, and in 124 Purok 1 in Barangay Cupang until March 28.

“The[se] areas [became] areas of concern after recording a high attack rate of [an estimated] 150 per 1,000 individual population from Feb. 27 to March 6,” said City Health Officer Teresa Tuliao.

She explained that the attack rate refers to the number of people infected with the novel coronavirus in a given population during a specific period.

“The areas subjected to the localized lockdown are congested and social distancing [was] not strictly followed. Further, the City Health Office recorded a high population of senior citizens, persons with disabilit[ies], and youth in the[se] affected areas,” Tuliao said.

Active cases in Muntinlupa stood at 213, up by 127 percent from the 94 active cases recorded on March 1.

In Makati, Mayor Abby Binay declared Zones 1 and 2 in Barangay Pio del Pilar as critical zones and placed them under a three-day LCQ until March 16.Zone 1 covers the streets of Mayor, Jerry, Cuangco and M. Reyes, and Zone 2 covers the streets of Arguelles, Apolinario, Calhoun and Evangelista.

Pio del Pilar logged the highest number of active COVID-19 cases among Makati’s 33 barangays at 128, or 17 percent of the 759 active cases in the city.

Binay said the lockdown would be lifted if all households test negative for COVID-19.

However, if a member of any household tests positive, a lockdown on that home will be extended to 14 days, with the person who tested positive to be brought to a quarantine facility.

If all members of a household test negative for COVID-19, the lockdown over the house will be lifted.

Among the cities in the capital region, Pasay so far has the most number of areas under lockdown, with 84 out of 201 barangays placed under LCQ this month.

‘Granular’

In Quezon City, some 75 homes, neighborhoods, offices and even a seminary have been placed under “special concern lockdown” since the beginning of March.

Earlier last week, four barangays in the city of Manila were placed under lockdown, but this is expected to be lifted on Sunday.

In Mandaluyong, a “granular lockdown” was declared on three zones in Barangay Addition Hills, which is expected to be lifted later this week.