Mayor Sara places Davao City brgy under hard lockdown
DAVAO CITY – Mayor Sara Duterte has placed the entire Barangay 23-C under a 14-day hard lockdown, the only one out of 182 barangays in Davao City, effective 1 p.m. on Saturday after seeing more residents getting infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Duterte said a hard lockdown has been enforced to cut the transmission of COVID-19 in the heavily populated barangay, which has an estimated 18,000 residents, after the local health authorities reported 17 residents being infected from June 28 to July 3.
Since the outbreak began, she said Barangay 23-C, categorized as “very high risk”, has recorded 88 COVID-19 positive residents, with two deaths. The youngest COVID-19 case from the barangay was 25-day old baby, while the oldest was a 75-year old.
“The situation in Barangay 23-C is very severe because we have so many patients who come from Barangay 23-C. This has been the subject of several meetings already to know what interventions we should do in that area,” she said in an interview over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR 87.5) on Friday.
Duterte warned Dabawenyos to avoid going to Barangay 23-C to protect themselves from the virus.
As of July 3, the Department of Health-Davao reported a total of 587 COVID-19 cases in the region: 449 in Davao City, 50 in Davao del Norte, 22 in Davao del Sur, 32 in Davao de Oro, 30 in Davao Oriental, and four in Davao Occidental.
“We advise everyone to avoid going to that area for whatever reason, be it for work or not, or going to establishments that are within this area. Let us refrain from doing so, for now, because the area is very critical,” she said.
City Health Office head Dr. Joy Villafuerte said similar restrictions implemented under an enhanced community quarantine would be applied in the barangays, which would limit the movement of the people who will be confined within the community for a minimum of 14 days.
She said no one will be allowed to enter or leave the barangay until such time that the transmission of the virus was controlled.
The City Social Welfare and Development Office will provide daily food rations to residents in Barangay 23-C while psychosocial interventions will likewise be provided.
Security forces will be deployed to monitor the area.
Other areas in Davao City classified as “very high risk” were Agdao Proper, Bucana, Buhangin Proper, Cabantian, Leon Garcia, Ma-a and Matina Crossing. Identified as high-risk areas were Barangay 5-A, 19-B, 22-C, Talomo Proper, and Wilfredo Aquino.