Passi City in Iloilo province under 2-week ECQ as active COVID-19 cases spike to at least 220

Passi City mayor Stephen Palmares talking about the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) protocols in his city due to rising COVID-19 cases. (Screenshot from Laging Handa Press briefing on Jan. 30, 2021)

 

(Eagle News) — Passi City in Iloilo province has been placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) as COVID-19 cases continued to spike, mostly among market vendors, and with confirmed active cases reaching 220 on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021.

Passi City Mayor Stephen Palmares said that they are now continuously contact tracing the area and the ECQ protocol would further limit movement and hopefully transmission of the virus. The ECQ which started on Jan. 28 would be until Feb. 11.

From 166, umakyat sa 220 iyong ating COVID cases na active dito sa City of Passi, at mostly nito ay market vendors. And right now, continuous iyong ating contact tracing na ginagawa at saka we’re trying to put everything in its proper perspective at saka nilagay natin iyong entire City under Enhanced Community Quarantine para ma-limit natin iyong movement ng mga tao at saka ma-limit natin iyong transmission,” Mayor Palmares said in a Laging Handa press briefing Saturday, Jan. 30.

Palmares said that they traced the source of the COVID-19 infections to an employee who had a stall at the Passi Public Market. The vendor eventually infected other market vendors.

There are 650 market vendors in all at the public market. They were all swabbed for COVID-19 tests. At first, 131 tested positive. It later rose to 166, until it became 220 positive cases.

Palmares said they have tested more or less 800 contacts.

Courtesy Passi City Facebook page

At saka iyong direction natin ngayon, I have already issued an order sa contact tracing team na kailangan we have to secure na lahat ng na-contact trace ma-test natin kasi we have to put everything na ma-test natin,” the city mayor said.

He said that although putting the entire city under ECQ had economic effects, health of the citizens was more important.

The ECQ as approved by the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force would be for two weeks in Passi City.

Those affected in the city “will receive support not only from the city government of Passi, not only from the provincial government of Iloilo, but the entire regional offices of the national agencies in Western Visayas,” Palmares said.

Passi had announced the ECQ lockdown beginning Jan. 28 to end midnight of Feb. 11 based on the announcement on the official Facebook page of the local government unit.

“The declaration of Passi City under ECQ shall be subject to the concurrence of the Governor and the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force COVID-19,” a post from the Passi City official facebook page said.

Passi City is a gateway to Boracay, and Mayor Palmares said that they have so far implemented 12 border controls which are all manned by the Philippine National Police and by volunteer groups.

The Passi City Public Market where the cluster of COVID-19 infections started. (Courtesy Google map)

But since Passi City is the only area in the whole Iloilo province which is under ECQ, making sure that there would be no one who would enter nor exit Passi City in particular is challenging.

So iyong ginawa natin, iyong national highway eh pinabuksan natin na makadaan iyong mga travelers from Iloilo City, to Capiz sa Aklan and Caticlan and vice versa. Pero iyong ginawa natin, hindi sila puwedeng bumaba dito sa Passi City. All they have to do is to pass through the national highway of Passi City in going to the nearby provinces. So iyon ‘yung ginagawa natin at saka isang tao lang iyong makalabas sa bahay, may quarantine pass tayo na in-issue para ma-limit natin iyong paglabas ng mga tao sa kani-kanilang mga bahay,” Palmares explained.

He said that all establishments in the city had to be closed, and only those that offer essential goods were open.

Those who were allowed to go out of their homes were those who will buy food or medicine, and those needing to go for medical emergencies.

Mayor Palmares advised his constituents to be patient as they go through the ECQ which was necessary to bring down the COVID-19 cases in the city.

“Well sa lahat ng mga kababayan ko dito sa Passi City, patuloy lang na pag-cooperate at saka pagsunod sa mga policies natin na ini-implement especially during ECQ na ginagawa natin and this will last for February 11,” he said. “Just bear with me and we will pass through this. Salamat!”

(Eagle News Service)