COVID-19 brings Marawi to a standstill anew

DESERTED This busy street along Amai Pakpak Road in Barrio Saber, Marawi City, is deserted on Sunday after the city government required all people to stay home to stem the rise of coronavirus cases in the city. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Philippines — The once busy streets of Barangay Basak Malutlut here are empty as the local government imposed a “no movement day” on Sunday to stem the rising new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.

“I last saw this kind of scene during the Marawi siege,” said Jamalodin Basman, councilman of Barangay Panggao Saduc, early on Sunday.

Basman was referring to the five-month fighting between government troops and the Islamic State-inspired terror group in 2017 that sent people fleeing from their homes and deserting the bustling streets.

Life returned to the streets only in November that year, or about a month after government forces pushed the rebels out of the city and allowed the residents to go back to their homes.

But on Sunday, businesses were again closed, vehicles were nowhere, and the people were told to stay home from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.Basman said only policemen and members of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team were moving around.

Local transmission

Gov. Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr. has declared Sunday a “no movement day” as the city struggles to curb the rising COVID-19 infections.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases earlier approved the local government’s request to place the city and the entire Lanao del Sur province under modified enhanced community quarantine starting on Sept. 7 due to the sudden rise of COVID-19 cases, mostly brought about by local and community transmission.

As of Sunday, Lanao del Sur had 413 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 333 recoveries and 15 deaths. —DIVINA M. SUSON INQ