Albay’s 2 cities, 9 towns ease COVID-19 curbs

LEGAZPI CITY—The pandemic task force in Albay announced Thursday that the quarantine status in two cities and nine towns in the province was downgraded to modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) from general community quarantine (GCQ) starting Friday, July 16.

Those reverted to MGCQ, the least stringent quarantine classification, are Legazpi and Tabaco cities; Tiwi, Malinao, Malilipot, Sto. Domingo, Bacacay, Manito, Daraga, Camalig, and Oas towns.

With the 11 localities back to MCCQ, all the three cities and 15 towns in Albay are now in the same classification, said an executive order issued Wednesday night by Gov. Al Francis Bichara.

The order cited the Department of Health (DOH) Regional Case Bulletin on July 12, stating that the attack rate of COVID-19 in the province had decreased by 57 percent, and the recovery rate has increased by 70 percent.

Meanwhile, City Mayor Noel Rosal has allowed the DOH regional office to use the ultra-low temperature freezer procured by the city government to store COVID-19 vaccines.

Rosal said the freezer could meet the required temperature by Pfizer and Sputnik V (Gamaleya) vaccines.

The freezer has a temperature of up to -99 degrees Celsius and can store up to 140,000 vials of vaccines.

Ernie Vera, DOH regional director, said 2,400 doses of Sputnik V were delivered here Tuesday for pilot roll-out at the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital, the government’s regional hospital in Legazpi City and local government unit of Legazpi.

He said there was no allocation yet of Pfizer vaccines for Bicol.

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