LUCENA CITY –– Police in Cavite accosted 1,409 quarantine violators in the past five days as local governments struggle to stop the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Colonel Marlon Santos, Cavite police chief, reported Monday that they arrested 418 violators in the past 24 hours.
The police also nabbed 310 protocol violators on April 4; 237 on April 3; 195 on April 2, and 249 on April 1.
The violators were not wearing face masks or ignoring the curfew in their localities. They paid fines, did community service, and performed other punishments imposed by concerned local governments.
Cavite remains under the strictest enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until April 11 to prevent the rise of COVID-19 cases.
At least 38 quarantine control checkpoints had been placed in the strategic location and border of each city and municipality in the province since March 29.
The checkpoints monitor travel between Cavite and Batangas, which is not part of the so-called “NCR Plus bubble,” composed of Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Laguna, and Cavite.
Santos ordered the police to strictly enforce the ECQ regulations and intensify operations against illegal drugs and criminality.
Gov. Juanito Victor Remulla urged the public to stay home as much as possible and observe all health protocols.
“Cases worldwide are on a surge. We are battling new types of strains which are more infectious and far more dangerous,” Remulla said on his Facebook page.
As of April 4, the Department of Health in Calabarzon reported that Cavite logged 25,959 COVID-19 cases, 20,266 recoveries, and 618 deaths since the pandemic began last year.
The province still has 5,075 active virus carriers, the highest number in the region, followed by Laguna with 2,966.