The Marikina City government will place clusters of households in three barangays with the highest number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases under localized community quarantine (LCQ).
Mayor Marcelino Teodoro announced Friday that five to seven clusters of houses in Barangays Malanday, Concepcion Uno, and Sto. Niño will be placed under the strict community quarantine to bring down the cases of COVID-19 in the area to single digits.
“We have identified three barangays with high numbers of COVID-19 cases -- Barangay Concepcion Uno, Malanday, and Barangay Sto. Nino,” Teodoro told reporters.
“In the said three barangays, we will be strict in implementing physical distancing measures and intensify the enforcement of minimum health and safety protocols.”
As of Aug. 13, Barangay Concepcion Uno has 67 active cases, Malanday has 59, and Sto. Niño has 55.
The mayor said the localized lockdown will be enforced for two to three days.
The local government is yet to release the date on the start of the community quarantine.
The local government has tasked the barangays to strictly implement health measures such as physical distancing, proper wearing of face mask, and disinfection. Teodoro said citation tickets will be issued to individuals caught violating the safety protocols.
The mayor explained that only a warning be given to first-time offenders “in the interest of fairness and for the reason of compassion.” The fine for the second offense is P1,000, and P2,000 for the third offense.
In this time of pandemic, the mayor noted that the fine might be a hefty amount for violators. With this, Teodoro said he signed an ordinance on Thursday imposing an alternative penalty for quarantine violators.
“If they cannot afford the P1,000 fine, they could choose to do community service instead or attend spiritual and moral counseling,” the mayor said.
Moreover, Teodoro said they would also impose the alternate closure of commercial establishments, retail stores, and markets to give way to disinfection and contact tracing.
He warned that commercial establishments that failed to implement minimum health standards will be temporarily closed for up to three days.