Rizal on lockdown starting Monday, April 6, due to COVID-19 threat

Acting Governor Reynaldo San Juan Jr. ordered a lockdown in the entire Rizal Province starting Monday morning, April 6, due to the coronavirus disease  2019 (COVID-19) threat.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, the provincial government of Rizal said the lockdown will take affect at 8:00 a.m.

The implementation of the lockdown is effective until lifted, San Juan said.

Signed on Saturday, Executive Order No. 14 implements border restriction with the same exemptions that the national government has set for the Luzon enhanced community quarantine.

The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) exempted health workers, emergency frontliners,  government workers, diplomats, media personnel, and religious ministers from the restrictions on movement.

The task force also allowed the movement of employees who are part of the skeleton workforce of businesses related to basic services and commodities as well as the business process outsourcing (BPO) and hotel industries.

However, those exempted from the restriction will be subjected to mandatory thermal scanning or temperature check, San Juan said.

“Samantala, malaya pa ring makakapasok ang mga cargo trucks at mga sasakyan na nagdadala ng mga food commodities at farm inputs sa mga designated food lanes,” the provincial government said.

“Magkakaroon din ng express lane para sa mga donasyon para sa mga frontliners at ospital na manggagaling sa iba’t ibang mga sponsors, gayundin ang mga nangangailangan ng atensyon medical,” it added.

Mass public transportation will remain suspended. San Juan said transportation units provided by the local government and service providers of health workers are exempted from the suspension.

Checkpoints at the borders of the province will be set up. San Juan said human rights shall be respected and protected at all times at checkpoints.

“Mahigpit na panawagan sa mga residente ng lalawigan na manatili sa kanilang mga bahay dahil patuloy pa rin iiral ang 24-curfew na itinakda ng DILG maliban na lang sa mga otorisadong miyembro ng pamilya na kailangan bumili ng pagkain at iba pang essential commodities,” the provincial government said.

“Tuloy-tuloy din ang pamimigay ng ayuda ng iba't ibang lokal na pamahalaan sa ating mga mamamayan,” it added.

As of Friday, at least 106 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Rizal Province, with 18 fatalities.

The local government is keeping track of 466 persons under investigation including 41 who were still admitted and 259 under home quarantine.

At least 9,188 were considered as persons under monitoring, of whom 4012 were still under home quarantine.

As of Saturday, there were 3,094 COVID-19 cases in the country, the Department of Health said.

The death toll rose to 144 while the number of recoveries increased to 57.

READ: COVID-19 Dashboard: Summary of Cases in the Philippines

 —Joviland Rita/KG, GMA News