One COVID case can lock down a house, entire condo floor – Olivarez
MANILA, Philippines — Even just one case of coronavirus infection may already prompt a local government unit to impose a granular lockdown on a house or an entire building or condominium floor, according to Metro Manila Council chairman and Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez.
In a televised briefing Wednesday, Olivarez also said at least two COVID-19 cases could enable local authorities to place a whole street on granular lockdown.
“Katulad po sa isang floor ng isang condominium, alam naman po natin sa NCR marami po tayong condominium building, basta magkaroon lang po ng isang case po doon, ‘yung mismong isang floor na ‘yun, ay puwede na po natin i-lockdown po ‘yan,” he explained.
(On one floor of a condominium, we know that we have a lot of condominiums in NCR, if one case is detected on that floor, it can already be placed on lockdown.)
“Isang bahay, pwede po natin i-lockdown basta magkaroon lang po ng isang case sa isang bahay.”
(One house can also be placed under lockdown if they record even just a single COVID case.)
Olivarez continued: “Kapag po sa isang kalsada, sa isang sitio, mag-dalawa lang po na case doon, pwede na po magkaroon ng lockdown dyan para po ma-implement ‘yung ating mass testing, contact tracing pati po isolation,” he said.
(When it comes to a street or a site within a community, it can already be placed under lockdown if two cases are detected so we can implement mass testing, contact tracing, and isolation.)
Metro Manila will be under general community quarantine or GCQ Alert Level 4 starting Thursday, September 16, until September 30. During this period, local government units will also impose granular lockdowns to restrict movement in small areas where there is high COVID-19 transmission.
Under guidelines issued by the COVID-19 task force, the imposition of granular lockdowns will last for a period of at least 14 days.
Persons covered by granular lockdowns will receive food packs from their respective local government units and the national government through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Health workers, returning or outbound Overseas Filipino Workers, as well as those attending to emergencies, were the only ones allowed to go in and out of an area under granular lockdown.
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