Busuanga in Palawan under 48-hour lockdown due to COVID-19 threat

The municipality of Busuanga in Palawan was placed under 48-hour lockdown starting Friday, August 21.

Authorities implemented the lockdown starting 6 p.m. Friday.

Residents were not allowed to go out of their homes to allow authorities to conduct contact tracing. Only frontliners and local government officials will be allowed to leave the barangay.

The local government unit said a family in the neighboring municipality of Coron consisting of an eight-month-old baby and the baby's parents, tested positive for COVID-19 based on swab tests. The baby's mother works in Busuanga.

The LGU said the family's case may be the first incidence of local transmission in the municipality of Coron.

According to a report by Junfred Calamba of Super Radyo Palawan on Dobol B sa News TV on Saturday, the municipal information officer of Busuanga said the baby's mother works as a teacher. She is a relative of an 82-year-old who recently died after contracting COVID-19.

"Inaasahan po natin ang pakikiisa ng lahat hanggang matapos ang proseso ng contact tracing upang mapigilan natin ang posibleng pagkalat ng virus sa buong Busuanga," the Busuanga Public Information said in a Facebook post.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country reached 182,365 on Friday, the Department of Health said.

Of this number, 114,519 recovered while 2,940 died. —KG, GMA News