MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine National Police on Monday (Sept 6) said it was preparing for its role in the enforcement of lockdowns in areas with high COVID-19 cases, which the government called granular, starting on Sept. 8.
PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said he has instructed police commanders in the National Capital Region to coordinate for the implementation of the quarantine variant.
“Enforcing granular lockdown is a solution that our government sees to balance reopening the economy and controlling the spread of COVID-19,” Eleazar said in a statement.
“The PNP supports this,” he said.
Metro Manila and nearby provinces are shifting to selected lockdowns from modified enhanced community quarantine , the second most stringent variant of lockdown which would end on Sept. 7.
Details of the granular lockdowns have yet to be finalized, although this was not a new practice.
Some communities in the National Capital Region have been implementing granular lockdowns, where restrictions are narrowed to specific areas.
According to PNP data, there are 51 barangays in Metro Manila under granular lockdowns.
In an interview with Teleradyo, Eleazar said policemen, who will be deployed to enforce the lockdowns, will wait for their coronavirus test results.
There are currently 2,238 active COVID-19 cases in the PNP, he said.