By John Clifford Lintao
THE increasing number of COVID-19 contamination has compelled the Inter-Agency Task Force to impose a strict localized lockdown on Marawi City’s 14 barangays since Tuesday.
Lanao del Sur-based Inter-Agency Task Force deputy chairperson Dr. Alinader Minalang justified the imposition of the stringent localized community quarantine as the most logical step to prevent the spread of the disease.
“Na-notice natin nitong mga nakaraang araw mabilis ‘yung paglabas nitong mga positive cases. So this is a preemptive measure natin para mapigilan natin ‘yung pagkalat ng virus na ito sa Marawi City,” he said.
Howev er, Minalang clarified that the lockdowns do not necessarily cover the entire concerned barangays. In these areas, only the households with COVID-19 cases and the nearby homes will be covered.
Marawi City has recorded a total of 56 confirmed cases with 16 active cases. Relatedly, the entire province of Lanao del Sur has logged in a total of 211 cases with 29 active cases.
With the increase in COVID-19 cases, the Marawi City Health Office on Monday recommended the following barangays to be placed under lockdown:
• Bo. Green
• Gadongan
• Sugod Proper
• Bito Buadi Parba
• Biaba Damag
• Datu Saber
• Tuca
• Moncado Kadingilan
• Panggao Saduc
• Bagon
• Matampay
• Papandayan Caniogan
• Raya Saduc
• Marawi Poblacion
On the national scale, the Department of Health on Tuesday announced there were 2,987 new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), bringing the country’s tally to 139,538.
The total number of recoveries also rose to 68,432 after 280 more patients recovered from the respiratory illness, while the death toll climbed to 2,312 with 19 new fatalities.