INTERIOR Secretary Eduardo Año yesterday said 77 areas nationwide are under granular lockdown in line with the Alert Level System of quarantine that the government is implementing to control the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Eight of these areas are in the National Capital Region (NCR), which is under Alert Level 2.
The region is the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Año told President Duterte during the Talk to the People forum that aired yesterday morning, that the declining number of locked down areas proves the effectivity of the alert level system, which was expended throughout the country last week.
Año said 99 households, composed of 272 individuals, are affected by the granular lockdowns which are situated in 81 barangays within 18 cities and towns.
He did not specify the exact location of the areas under localized lockdown.
At the same time, the secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) also reported that 64,899 quarantine violators have been accosted throughout the country from November 26 to December 2.
Of the number, 44,905 were caught not wearing face masks; 19,363 violated the physical distancing protocol; and 631 attended mass gatherings.
Most of the violators, or 48,110 individuals, were merely warned, while the rest were either fined, made to do community service or charged in court.
Año said the number of violators accosted over the past week was about 50 percent lower than the previous week.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III yesterday said it would be better if the country stays under Alert Level 2 despite the “minimal” COVID risk category of the Philippine archipelago.
In a televised public briefing, Duque said it is not yet the time to shift to Alert Level 1, which is the most lenient restriction level for COVID-19, because of the persistent threat of a resurgence of cases given the holiday season and the looming entry of the Omicron variant.
The DOH last Monday said the COVID-19 classification of the Philippines and 13 of its regions are already at “minimal risk,” with only four areas still at “low risk.”
“First, the mobility of people is expected to increase further because of the Christmas season. Another reason is the threat of the Omicron variant,” said Duque.
Besides, he added, “we have already opened a big percentage of the economy under Alert Level 2, with establishments increasing capacities up to 50 percent now.”
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said it was still waiting for the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) if face-to-face visits for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) will be allowed in its prison facilities this holiday season.
“Right now, we will wait for guidance from the IATF to make an informed decision. We will follow whatever their guidance considering the emergence of the new COVID-19 variant,” Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) spokesman Gabriel Chaclag said.
“Before the news about the new variant, we were about to allow the face-to-face visits. But we changed our mind and is now waiting for IATF,” Chaclag also said.
Chaclag said the bureau wanted to ensure the safety and welfare not only of the PDLs but also of their families this holiday season.
“We now have zero cases among PDLs at the Bilibid and BuCor-wide but two of our personnel tested positive the other day,” he said, adding that two BuCor employees who were previously infected with the virus had already recovered last week.
The BuCor operates seven penal colonies in the country. The largest in terms of inmate population is the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, with 28,516 PDLs, including 17,329 in its maximum-security prison.
The other penal colonies are the Correctional Institute for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City, Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro; San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga City, Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan, Leyte Regional Prison in Abuyog, Leyte; and the Davao Prison and Penal Farm in Davao del Norte. — With Gerard Naval and Ashzel Hachero
