THE entire first district of Tondo in Manila will be under 48-hour “hard” lockdown starting 5 a.m. of May 3 until 5 a.m. of May 5, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno announced on Thursday.
The shutdown will allow health officials to conduct disease surveillance and mass testing in the covered area,s it was stated under Executive Order No. 22 signed by Moreno on Thursday morning. District 1 of Tondo covers 135 barangays with a population of more than 500,000.
Manila Police District (MPD) chief Brig. Gen. Rolando Miranda said residents who will test positive for the novel coronavirus will be take to the Sta. Ana Epidemiology Center for treatment.
Data released Wednesday night by the Manila Health Department showed that the first district of Tondo has 83 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 23 suspected cases. There have also been 12 deaths reported in the area.
Overall, Manila has 518 confirmed COVID cases, including 10 new infections Wednesday, and 975 suspected cases.
Ninety have recovered from the virus while 61 have died.
Under the hard lockdown scheme, residents of District 1 of Tondo will be strictly confined to their residences and prohibited from going outside of their homes, except for health workers, officers and members of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine Coast Guard (Coastguard), and government workers.
Also exempted under EO 22 are those working in pharmacies, drug stores and funeral home establishments; public utility companies such as energy companies, cable, internet and other telecommunication, water, sanitation companies and critical transport facilities, including port operation.The exemption is also extended to service workers providing daily essential services, including delivery of essential goods and cargoes, food delivery services, banking and money transfer services; and barangay officials.
Workers in the media industry duly accredited by the Presidential Communications Operations Office and the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases are also exempted from the lockdown.
Likewise, merchants in the Divisoria district “within the vicinity of barangays number 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 shall be allowed to vend within the allowable time and place prescribed by the city.” All other commercial, industrial, retail, institutional and other activities not mentioned in the above exemptions will remain suspended.
Non-residents passing through Tondo District 1 will be allowed passage provided they are among those listed under the Authorized Person Outside Residence (APUR) in accordance with the guidelines set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
