A residential building in Muntinlupa is now under granular lockdown due to clustering of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.
Mayor Jaime Fresnedi placed under a 15-day Extreme Localized Community Quarantine (ELCQ) the Building 2 of the BLISS (Bagong Lipunan Sites and Services) Complex in Brgy. Putatan from 6 p.m. of Aug. 23 to 6 p.m. of Sept. 7.
BLISS is a residential complex with a total of seven buildings located near the Muntinlupa City hall.
The BLISS building is the eighth community in Muntinlupa to be placed under granular lockdown since the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) was imposed in Metro Manila last Aug. 6 and the first under the new Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) status.
As of Aug. 23, there are 13 active cases of COVID-19 in Building 2 among 80 residents from 16 households.
The City Health Office (CHO) also recorded a spike in the community’s attack rate from 375 per 10,000 population last week to the current record of 1,625 per 1,000 population.
The doubling time, the number of days for COVID-19 to double in number, in the community has also narrowed at three days.
CHO chief Dr. Juancho Bunyi said most members of the community do not observe minimum health protocols such as wearing of face masks and physical distancing.
“People in the building come and go. We also recorded high risk groups such as senior citizens and children five years old and below that is why we recommended a lockdown,” he said.
Fresnedi said the move to lockdown the area aims to contain the further transmission of COVID-19 not only in the community but also in the whole city.
During a virtual emergency meeting, Fresnedi explained to BLISS homeowners’ association president Aquino Veran that the city government will be imposing a total lockdown in the building and no one will be allowed to leave the area, except for emergencies.
The CHO will conduct a mass testing and contact tracing in the area while the police will enforce security measures.
Meanwhile, the City Social Service Department and barangay are set to provide food packs and other basic items for the affected residents during the ELCQ.
Currently, seven other communities in Muntinlupa are under granular lockdown. These are Building 17 at Filinvest Socialized Housing, Brgy. Alabang from Aug. 19 to Sept. 2; Angelo, Horrileno, Endencia, Paredes and Barrera Streets. in Katarungan Village 1, Brgy. Poblacion from Aug. 19 to Sept. 2; Purok 3, Molera Compound in Brgy. Sucat and Purok 7, Beatriz Compound, De Mesa L & B Street in Brgy. Alabang from Aug. 6 to 27; Block 8, Hills View and Mangga St., Lakeview Homes in Brgy. Putatan from Aug. 12 to 26; and Chico Street, Laguerta in Brgy. Tunasan from Aug. 10 to 25.
A total of 1,646 food boxes were distributed in the communities under lockdown.
The Gender and Development Office also distributed NutriPandesal for the children of areas under lockdown, including face masks and bottles of one liter water from the office of Rep. Ruffy Biazon.
As of Aug. 22, Muntinlupa has 2,028 active cases out of 17,946 confirmed cases, 15,495 recoveries and 423 deaths.