DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Iligan City is placed under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) for the month of September following an increase of Covid-19 cases.
The announcement of the new quarantine status was made by President Rodrigo Duterte during his weekly online briefing on Monday.
The decision was based on the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infections Diseases (IATF-EID).
As of August 31, Iligan City has recorded 34 new cases of Covid-19 infections, 32 of which are local transmission and two are locally stranded individuals who have returned to the city.
There are 39 active cases admitted in city hospitals, while 129 patients which include 13 returning residents are in isolation units
The city has recorded 312 total cases since the start of the pandemic.
With the MECQ, Iligan will be closing its borders and will allow entry or exit for persons authorized to travel.
In a press briefing on Monday night, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque explained that even with the low cases in Iligan, the limited hospitals have forced the city to opt for MECQ,
“Hindi naman po ganoon kataas ang kaso sa Iligan. Ang problema lang po sa Iligan, wala pong hospital doon ‘no, kaya kinakailangan ipadala pa sa Cagayan de Oro, (Iligan may not have high number of cases. But the problem in Iligan is they don’t have hospitals, and they need to send the patients to Cagayan de Oro),” Roque said.
The Cagayan de Oro local government has been assisting the Iligan LGU in accommodating patients from Iligan and also for the quarantine of recently arrived overseas workers and locally stranded individuals. (davaotoday.com)
