By Chito Chavez
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has rejected suggestions to place the entire city under quarantine in a bid to restrict movements and minimize crowded activities to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Mayor Joy Belmonte (Mayor Joy Belmonte Official Facebook Page / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Instead, Belmonte asked the public for its full cooperation, saying their strict compliance with precautionary measures against the spread of the virus is necessary.
Belmonte also clarified that neighbors of COVID-19-infected individuals need not self-quarantine.
Earlier, the city’s barangay health emergency response teams were trained on the proper use of personal protective equipment to shield them against infection as they attend to COVID-19 patients.
Myke Marasigan, head of the QC Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said frontline health workers down to the barangay level are at a high risk of acquiring the virus if they are untrained in the proper use of personal protective gear.
On Friday, Belmonte placed the city under a state of calamity that will allow her administration to use certain funds to fight the disease.
Meanwhile, Belmonte urged her constituents to remain calm and practice the required precautionary measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
She also appealed to the public not to resort to panic buying, as this will deprive other people of purchasing the needed supplies in the midst of the pandemic.