Cebu solon appeals for 'localized lockdowns'
Published Apr 6, 2020 12:00 am
By Charissa Luci-Atienza
Cebu City 2nd district Rep. Rodrigo A. Abellanosa sought on Monday, April 6 the implementation of "localized lockdowns or quarantines," as the government is still studying whether there is a need to extend the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.
Residents wearing face masks walk past a checkpoint along a street in Manila on March 27, 2020, after the government imposed an enhanced quarantine as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in the city. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)
He appealed to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to consider a staggered lifting of ECQ by implementing localized quarantines.
"This proposal humbly offers a partial win-win solution. Instead of bugging ourselves with the issue on whether to lift or not to lift the ECQ, may I propose a staggered lifting of ECQ by concurrently transforming it into localized lockdowns or local quarantines - by barangays or clusters of puroks or sitios; and by employment communities such as construction, food production, food processing, manufacturing, call centers, building maintenance, and the like,” Abellanosa said in a statement.
He noted that the ECQ "has brought together the clashing issues on controlling the spread of the Covid-19 virus, the resultant massive unemployment, public health and nutrition consequences, and the inadequacies of the government to feed millions of people."
Abellanosa said under his proposal, food deliveries and public transportation will only be allowed to operate within the local quarantines.
He said the setting up of mobile stores in local quarantines should be considered to "minimize the confusion and problems arising from the issuance of quarantine passes for people to access stores outside of the local quarantines."
"Proper authorities must persuade supermarkets, big grocery stores, and food wholesalers to hire out-of-work drivers, cashiers, and baggers and to lease standby jeepneys, trucks, and buses to set up mobile stores in local quarantines," he said.
He said residents will be prohibited to go out of their local quarantines, except for health and medical reasons.
The delivery of government assistance, and the unhampered/unimpeded movement of all food and/or non-food cargoes will be guaranteed under his proposed localized lockdowns.
“We understand the public health and safety is the foremost concern of the government. But we need to come up with more creative solutions to containing this disease while ensuring that our people continue to have access to and afford basic necessities,” Abellanosa said.
Residents wearing face masks walk past a checkpoint along a street in Manila on March 27, 2020, after the government imposed an enhanced quarantine as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in the city. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)
He appealed to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to consider a staggered lifting of ECQ by implementing localized quarantines.
"This proposal humbly offers a partial win-win solution. Instead of bugging ourselves with the issue on whether to lift or not to lift the ECQ, may I propose a staggered lifting of ECQ by concurrently transforming it into localized lockdowns or local quarantines - by barangays or clusters of puroks or sitios; and by employment communities such as construction, food production, food processing, manufacturing, call centers, building maintenance, and the like,” Abellanosa said in a statement.
He noted that the ECQ "has brought together the clashing issues on controlling the spread of the Covid-19 virus, the resultant massive unemployment, public health and nutrition consequences, and the inadequacies of the government to feed millions of people."
Abellanosa said under his proposal, food deliveries and public transportation will only be allowed to operate within the local quarantines.
He said the setting up of mobile stores in local quarantines should be considered to "minimize the confusion and problems arising from the issuance of quarantine passes for people to access stores outside of the local quarantines."
"Proper authorities must persuade supermarkets, big grocery stores, and food wholesalers to hire out-of-work drivers, cashiers, and baggers and to lease standby jeepneys, trucks, and buses to set up mobile stores in local quarantines," he said.
He said residents will be prohibited to go out of their local quarantines, except for health and medical reasons.
The delivery of government assistance, and the unhampered/unimpeded movement of all food and/or non-food cargoes will be guaranteed under his proposed localized lockdowns.
“We understand the public health and safety is the foremost concern of the government. But we need to come up with more creative solutions to containing this disease while ensuring that our people continue to have access to and afford basic necessities,” Abellanosa said.