ANGONO, Rizal – Residents here will soon see colorful flags on top of bamboo poles in their community not to celebrate the annual “Higantes Festival” but to identify whether a barangay has COVID-19 positive cases, persons under recovery, or zero case reported.
According to the local government of Angono, a red flag hoisted in a certain community or street means that there is a confirmed case of COVID-19; green flag means there are patients who are in the recovery period; and white flag signifies that the place has zero case.
The office of Mayor Jeri Mae Calderon said that Barangay Kalayaan will be the first to put up the red, green, and white flags on bamboo poles to remind residents that the threat of the deadly virus is real and ready to infect anybody who does not follow the health protocols and guidelines set by the government.
As of September 24, Barangay Kalayaan recorded 49 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 20 of which are active cases.
In a Facebook post of Barangay Kalayaan, it said that the “alarming rise” of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the area has prompted the barangay council to impose a 15-day stricter monitoring of entry and exit of people in the village boundaries requiring quarantine passes; ban on non-resident ambulant vendors; take out/home only of foods bought from street vendors; plastic barriers must be installed at food stalls; and vendors/servers should have updated medical certificate from the local health office and business clearance or permit from the barangay and the municipal government.
Municipal government’s chief of staff, Alan Maniaol, said that displaying of flags will also be implemented in other villages of Angono following the agreement between Mayor Calderon and village leaders.
Maniaol said the local government has also COVID-19 Tracker Map on Google Drive showing areas with active cases, recovery cases, or expired cases. Here is the link: (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pFa2SrwTH4MJpqBmHjHfrsqACg5cqAZR/view?fbclid=IwAR2gutFhvqJHEefy0jHIpgMZLRKTkUeSupYVby-qVASPwJMTEJRQsY06Sw8).
As of September 24, Angono recorded 77 active cases, 351 recoveries, and 17 deaths.