Over 200 arrested in Tondo amid total lockdown

Police arrested 272 residents in Tondo, Manila for violation of the total lockdown implemented to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

According to Chino Gaston's report for "24 Oras," most of the violators were men (241), while a small number are minors (25) and women (16).

To deter the residents from going outside, an All-Purpose Vehicle of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force has been patroling the area for two days.

"Everything is necessary to keep the policy in place and to create certainty that when we implement such thing, we are serious about it," said Manila Mayor Isko Moreno.

Some residents admitted they were afraid because of the presence of the armed vehicle, but others said they felt safe because it was deployed for their sake.

Moreno said the two-day lockdown in District 1 will not be extended, but they are studying whether a similar measure should be implemented in other areas.

In a targeted mass testing, 109 out of 1,409 Tondo residents tested positive for COVID-19 using the rapid antibody test kit. They are undergoing confirmatory testing and some of them have already been sent to the Delpan quarantine facility.

According to the Manila Health Department, the city has 562 active cases of COVID-19. A total of 111 patients have recovered, 73 have died, and 911 are suspected cases. —MGP, GMA News