Twenty-five barangays in Quezon City must be placed under special concern lockdown due to soaring COVID-19 cases, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles proposed Friday.
Nograles, the Cabinet member assigned to support Quezon City's pandemic response, said he submitted to the city government the list of hotspot villages for possible localized lockdown in a bid to stem the spread of the disease.
According to Nograles, it is imperative to implement localized lockdowns in specific areas that have clustering of coronavirus cases to limit the transmission in the community.
"Mayroon mga barangays na baka puwede tayo magkaroon ng (There are barangays that we might place under) special concern lockdowns which they promised to look at the list that I submitted to them today," Nograles said over ABS-CBN News Channel.
So far, Nograles said Quezon City has imposed special concern lockdowns in Barangays Batasan Hills, Culiat, Fairview, Tatalon, Sauyo, Bahay Toro, Kamuning, Roxas, Bagbag, Baesa, and Kaligayahan.
"Ang tinitingnan natin na iba sa listahan na binigay ko (The other areas in my list) is to take a look at Tandang Sora, Commonwealth, Holy Spirit, Novaliches Proper, Pasong Tamo, Crame, Payatas, Socorro, Matandang Balara, Pinyahan, and San Roque,” said Nograles, co-chairman of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases.
He admitted that 25 barangays may be considered as hotspots because the cases of infections have increased in the past two weeks.
He cited that Quezon City so far has a "good experience" in implementing localized lockdown where people are immediately tested to detect, isolate, and treat those with the coronavirus illness. Implementing special concern lockdown, he said, is part of the six-point approach implemented in Quezon City that will be enhanced to contain the spread of the disease.
The pandemic response includes control transmission, improving testing, tracing as healthcare capacity, manage outbreaks in settings such as health facilities and urban communities, impose preventive measures in workplaces and public transportation, manage importation risk, community empowerment, and information.
As of Aug. 13, the Department of Health has reported 8,240 cases of coronavirus in Quezon City with 5,576 recoveries and 338 deaths.