THE Philippine National Police yesterday said 53 areas in the National Capital Region (NCR), which is under Alert Level 3 until January 15, are under granular lockdown amid a surge in coronavirus disease (COVIOD-19) cases in the region.
The PNP said 36 of these areas are under the jurisdiction of the Manila Police District, 16 in the Northern Police District, and one in the Southern Police District.
The 53 locked down areas are within 40 barangays and are being guarded by 100 policemen and 143 “force multipliers” or local government personnel.
The police said 57 households, composed of 110 individuals, are affected by the lockdowns.
The PNP said 33 policemen and force multipliers are also guarding 10 areas outside of Metro Manila which are under granular lockdown, and these include six in Mimaropa, two in Cagagan Valley and one each in Ilocos region and Cordillera Administrative Region.
The 10 areas cover 58 households composed of 216 individuals.
Aside from the NCR, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has also placed under Alert Level 3 the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal, which form the NCR Plus bubble.
The heightened alert level has also been extended over 14 other provinces and cities outside the NCR Plus because of increasing number of COVID-19 cases.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said the IATF is set to discuss in its next meeting if there is a need to upgrade Metro Manila’s status to Alert Level 4.
The Department of Health yesterday reported 28,707 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the country’s total cases to 2,965,447. On Saturday, 26,458 new infections were reported.
The country’s current positivity rate stands at 44 percent among the 77,479 tested samples on January 7.
PRO-ACTIVE MEASURES
In Marikina City, residents have started to again wear face shields when going out of their homes.
City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said he has not mandated the wearing of face shield, but residents are “encouraged” to wear them as an added protection against the deadly virus.
Marikina has 1,116 active cases, a sharp increase from the 18cases it had last December 22, 2021.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) yesterday announced it will temporarily close its main office at the Times Plaza Building in United Nations Avenue in Manila for five days starting today due to the increasing number of employees infected with the virus.
“Rest assured the public that it will continue to dispense its services to ensure the continuity of public service,” said the PCOO, which is the communication arm of the government.
PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar said that as of January 9, the agency’s Manila office has 65 active cases.
On the other hand, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the main office of the Department of Justice (DOJ), also in Manila, will reduce its workforce on-site to 30 percent starting today as part of its pro-active measures to limit the spread of the virus among its personnel.
“With clearance from the Executive Secretary, I have reduced the onsite workforce at the DOJ main offices from 60 percent to 30 percent effective Monday, January 10, 2022, till January 15 or as may be further necessary,” Guevarra said.
“We have disinfected the DOJ premises this weekend and will continue to do so regularly,” he added.
The DOJ chief said work-from-home and online conduct of official transactions will be the primary mode of the department in rendering service during this period.
The DOJ has earlier reported that 21 of its employees reporting for work at its Manila office have tested positive of COVID-19 since January 1 this year.
The Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals will likewise reduce its onsite workforce.
“Effective, January 10, 2022 and until further orders, a skeleton workforce in the Office of the Clerk of Court, Division Clerks of Court, Judicial Records Office, Financial Management and Budget Office-SC, Office of Administrative Services, SC and Office of the Court Administrator, Financial Management Office-OCA, Court Management and Legal Offices of the OCA, and Internal Audit Service shall be required to report on-site from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3p.m,” stated a memorandum issued Sunday by Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo.
Gesmundo said the chiefs of offices shall determine who among their personnel or staff shall be included in the skeleton work force, which can be under rotation every week.
”The individual health conditions of those reporting on-site will be thoroughly checked upon entering the premises. They must not have even the slightest symptoms,” he added.
The on-site skeleton workforce shall not apply to the Office of the Bar Chair, Office of the Bar Confidant and other offices involved in the preparation of the scheduled Bar examinations on January 23 and 25, Medical and Dental Services, Security Division and Maintenance Division.
In the same order, Gesmundo also announced that the limited personal filing of initiatory pleadings which was allowed in an order he issued last November is “’discontinued until further orders.”
A similar order was also issued by the Court of Appeals-Manila, implementing a “flexible work schedule or shifting” starting today.
“All essential offices must maintain sufficient skeleton staff to ensure unhampered court operations. Adjudicatory and administrative functions which may be performed via videoconferencing shall be done remotely,” the CA order said.
In a related development, Deputy Court Administrator Raul Villanueva also issued an order directing all courts in areas under Alert Level 3 (NCR, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, Baguio City, Dagupan City, City of Santiago, Angeles City, Bataan, Olongapo City, Pampanga, Zambales, Batangas, Lucena City, Naga City, Iloilo City and Lapu-Lapu City) to be “physically open on a limited basis confined only to transactions that are of urgent nature” from January 10 to January 14.
“There will be no minimum or maximum skeleton workforce that will be maintained during the said period. Instead, the Executive Judges and or Presiding Judges shall have the discretion to determine the number of staff who need to report on-site,” Villanueva said, adding that Saturday duty continues to be suspended and regular office or working hours shall be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“No in-court hearing will be allowed during the said period. Only videoconferencing hearings involving pending cases already scheduled or which must be scheduled during the said period, whether urgent or not, can be conducted by the judges and this can be done regardless of their location. Still, judges should ensure that pending matters with their court are scheduled to and expeditiously addressed,” Villanueva also said.
Interior Undersecretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya said barangay officials have started accosting unvaccinated individuals caught outside of their homes on non-essential errands.
President Duterte last week told barangay captains to keep unvaccinated individuals in their homes amid the spike in COVID-19 cases. The President said if an unvaccinated individual is seen outside of their houses, they should be asked to return home. If they refuse, they should be detained and charged. — With Christian Oineza, Jocelyn Montemayor and Ashzel Hachero
