Cimatu, IATF officials to go to barangays in Cebu City with highest number of COVID-19 cases

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu and officials of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) are scheduled to visit on Wednesday the barangays in Cebu City with a high number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to a report by Ian Cruz on GMA News' Unang Balita.

Cimatu has been tasked by President Rodrigo Duterte to find solutions to address the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the city.

Cebu City has had more than 4,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases reached 2,213 as of Tuesday, the Cebu City Health Department said. 

On Tuesday night, members of the Central Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Regional Mobile Force Battalion of the Philippine National Police patrolled the city's streets.

Cebu City has been placed under lockdown on Tuesday night.

All quarantine passes have been suspended in the city, which is under enhanced community quarantine to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.

Only authorized persons outside residence (APOR) and essential workers were allowed on the streets effective 10 p.m. Tuesday.

However, on Tuesday night, GMA News saw some children playing on the roadside.

Their parents said they were only in the area at night to sleep. They also asked for food assistance.

On Wednesday morning, GMA News spotted many people outside their homes walking. Asked where they were going, they said they were on their way to work.

Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella on Tuesday appealed for calm and understanding following the enforcement of the lockdown and the suspension of the quarantine passes of more or less 250,000 residents. —KG, GMA News