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5 Bontoc barangays under lockdown, strict quarantine amid UK COVID-19 variant threat


Bontoc, Mountain Province mayor Franklin Odsey on Monday said five barangays in the municipality are currently under lockdown and strict quarantine protocol due to the threat of the new coronavirus variant.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, Odsey said around 6,000 residents are affected by the strict measure to prevent the spread of the new variant.

“There are four barangays dito sa sentro ng munisipyo [ang nasa ilalim ng lockdown] at I declared ang isang barangay outside. That's the Barangay Tocucan. So all in all lima,” Odsey said.

These barangays are Tocucan, Bontoc Ili, Caluttit, Poblacion, and Samoki.

On Sunday, the municipal government announced that the lockdown in Barangay Tocucan has been extended to January 31.

In a separate executive order, Odsey also extended the “enhanced community quarantine-like” lockdown in Bontoc Ili, Caluttit, and Poblacion from January 25 until January 31.

Previously, Odsey placed these three barangays under lockdown from January 18 to January 24 only due to the sudden surge of COVID-19 positive cases in the municipality.

Before the detection of the UK variant in Bontoc, Odsey had issued an executive order placing Barangay Samoki in “enhanced community quarantine” effective January 18 until January 31.

Bontoc has recorded 341 total COVID-19 cases, with 90 recoveries while 249 are still active cases. Two Bontoc residents have died due to the disease.

Citing the Department of Health, Odsey said that 12 cases with the UK variant of coronavirus have been detected in Bontoc. 

“Gusto ko itong i-clarify for closure from my earlier statement, ang kababayan namin ay returning OFW. He was able to enter because of complete documents,” he said.

According to him, the OFW came from the United Kingdom.

At the Laging Handa briefing, Odsey said only two of the 12 patients with the new coronavirus variant are still confined at the regional hospital.

“Dalawa ang nasa hopsital pa rin, 'yung regional hospital namin. Isa ngayon, ang madi-discharge. Tatlo ang naka-home quarantine. At anim ang na-discharge and continuing home quarantine,” he said.

“We closely monitor them. We have our contact tracers. We have our local informers sa barangay, LGU na nagmo-monitor that they should comply the requirement sa home quarantine,” Odsey added.

Odsey said that the infected patients had joined a family gathering prior to their diagnosis for COVID-19.

For the meantime, the mayor said Bontoc will not allow tourists to enter the municipality.   —KBK, GMA News

 

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