Zamboanga City—The numbers of coronavirus cases are rising once more here, as the City Health Office confirmed that active COVID-19 cases are up to 2,073 as of May 8.
Mayor Isabelle Climaco, quoting figures from the Oficina de Salud (City Health Office), stated that an additional 137 new cases were recorded at the end of the day Saturday.
She emphasized that 43 new recoveries and 15 new deaths were also added to the list, bringing the total number of reoveries to 5,102 with 287 mortalities.
Of the existing cases, 2,012 of the total active cases are community transmission, the mayor stated.
City Health Officer Dr. Dulce Miravite named the barangays with the most number of cases which are Calarian (171), Tetuan (146), Sta. Maria (134), Tumaga (112), San Roque (100), Guiwan (96), Talon-Talon (95), Putik (82), Pasonanca (81), San Jose Gusu (62), Tugbungan (62), Canelar (61), San Jose Cawa-Cawa (54), Baliwasan (53), Sinunuc (47), Mercedes (40), Cabatangan (35), Sta. Catalina (35), Divisoria (34), and Boalan (34).
The National Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infection Diseases (NIATF-EID) on Wednesday issued a directive placing Zamboanga City under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) from May 8 to 14. Frencie Carreon
In response, Climaco issued Executive Order 656-2021 which provided for the guidelines of MECQ.
Climaco called for public support and “cooperation in a bid to help control and prevent transmission in the community and to help doctors and health workers who are now overwhelmed with the increasing cases.”
Responding to the Mayor’s call, police and military authorities along with barangay officials and other force multipliers have been ensuring full implementation on said EO, implementing the health protocols, curfew, liquor ban, strict use of quarantine passes on scheduled days and others.
The Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) through the different pólice stations and operating units then recorded a total of 387 violations on the first day of the MECQ. Most were related to not bringing the quarantine pass as 214 violators were recorded.
Other violations were non-wearing of face shield (59), non-wearing of face mask (37), non-observance of physical distancing (31), curfew (19), use of unauthorized helmet (16) and unauthorized motorcycle backriding (11).
“Soldiers and policemen are jointly enforcing the EO through the conduct of checkpoints, coatal patrols and roving activities, among others,” the mayor said.
Meanwhile, Yaya Jojo Abdusalam, Executive Assistant on Muslim Affairs, called on Islam believers in the city to comply with the health protocols in observance of Ramadan and celebration of Eid. Lawyer Laisa Mausuhud Alamia, a distinguished Muslim lawyer, further assured fellow Muslims that “there is no grand conspiracy.”
“COVID-19 is real. People have died because of COVID-19 nd its complications. The ones admitted in the hospital and have recorded are for real. It is not fake news,” stated Alamia, a member of the Parliament and Minority Leader of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority and former Executive Secretary of ARMM.
“COVID cases have to be lowered to give the hospital health workers the breathing space that they badly needed. The MECQ had to be imposed because many have been lax with the compliance to the health protocols,” Climaco stated.