Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has reminded heads of the barangays in the city to strictly enforce quarantine protocols after discovering that birthday parties and videoke sessions caused the recent rise in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.
According to Belmonte, "most of the causes for the spread of COVID-19 cases in areas" recently placed under special concern lockdown (SCL) "were due to various unauthorized activities," which she "regrettably" said could be preventable.
"There were reports that residents in the said areas had drinking sessions, boodle fights, wakes that exceeded limitations in duration and number of attendees, and even played basketball and volleyball,” Belmonte said in a statement on Saturday.
Following her discovery, the lady chief executive met with the city's 142 barangay heads to remind them of their responsibility in enforcing quarantine regulations.
She also expressed alarm over the situation, particularly in areas under lockdown.
Belmonte ordered the village chiefs to apprehend quarantine violators, conduct foot patrols to disseminate information to residents, enforce curfew hours and strictly regulate the sale of alcoholic beverages.
“We also remind barangay officials that the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is constantly monitoring if they are cooperating with the city government. Failure to do so may lead to the filing of administrative cases against both local and barangay officials,” she added.