Zonal lockdown of affected communities still necessary — PHO
EVEN as the number of COVID-19 cases in Pangasinan continues to decrease, the Provincial Health Office (PHO) has not stopped prodding local governments to adopt the zone containment strategy in areas where there is one, two or more confirmed cases to prevent further spread of the virus to healthy residents.
During the last physical session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP), Dr. Anna de Guzman, provincial health officer, blamed the weak implementation of the zoning containment strategy to the rise of cases during the first two weeks of January.
“Very strict po ang guidelines not only on confirmed cases but also in probable cases. If you have one or two cases, depending on the population of the barangay, you must have to follow a lockdown policy if one is inside a critical zone,” she intoned in answering to questions posed by Third District Board Member Angel Baniqued Jr.
Dr. Guzman said the classification that must be followed in case of a lockdown in any zone is Enhanced Community Quarantine, a situation in which members of households in a given community are not allowed to step out of their residences for 14 days.
She issued the advice amid the threat of the UK variant, the more contagious strain of the virus already detected in Bontoc and some towns of Mountain Province and in La Trinidad, Benguet.
Governor Amado Espino III already ordered strict border control between Pangasinan and Benguet and has temporarily disallowed entry of visitors from Baguio.
In case of reports of case clustering, the PHO usually coordinates with the concerned municipality or city and asks the assistance of the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office to order local chiefs of police to enforce the quarantine protocol in sitios of barangays.
However, De Guzman still noted the weak compliance of the quarantine protocols by barangay captains because they are unable to prevent residents in critical zones from going out of their homes.
In such areas, PHO has sought help of P/Col. Ronald Gayo, police provincial director, to order his chiefs of police to monitor and help in the enforcement of the zonal containment protocol to prevent any more spread of the virus, De Guzman told the SP.
She added that when a sitio is placed under lockdown because of COVID-19, it is the responsibility of the local government to provide food to the locked down residents to help enforce the strict quarantine. (Leonardo Micua)
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