Caloocan to use ‘quarantine wristbands’ to track possible COVID-19 cases

Caloocan City residents who will undergo a swab test for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will soon be required to wear a “quarantine wristband” to ensure their compliance with health protocols.

According to Mark Salazar’s report on “24 Oras” on Monday, residents who will be given a wristband must connect the band to their phone and check-in twice a day.

Those with no internet connection can check-in by going to the barangay hall.

“After swabbing, they need to put that and then i-scan na ng ating mga health officers together with the contact tracing. Madali nang mamo-monitor [kung] nagii-stay ba talaga sila sa bahay o pagala gala,” Caloocan City Administrator Oliver Hernandez said.

The system can see where and how far from the quarantine area a resident goes.

The system can also help in identifying clusters of infection.

“We see in real-time where the clusters are happening. There’s a visual representation so [if] there’s a real potential outbreak happening here, then we can focus our resources within that area,” Caloocan COVID Command Center chief Sikini Labastilla said.

The city government has already purchased 20,000 wristbands.

However, it cannot be used until a city ordinance dictates sanctions for violators.

“If they violated that, merong mga P1,000, P3,000, and P5,000 penalties,” Hernandez said. — Julia Mari Ornedo/DVM, GMA News