The provincial and city governments of Iloilo have continued to strengthen their preventive and safety measures in line with the extension of their enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) classification until Aug. 7 and in preparation for the possible impacts of the Delta variant.

On Monday, Aug. 2, Mayor Jerry P. Treñas signed Executive Order 070 for the implementation of the heightened restrictions effective Aug. 3 until Aug. 8, unless otherwise lifted or extended.

“Throughout the implementation of this Executive Order, the movement of all persons shall be limited only to accessing goods and services from permitted establishments, for work in such establishments at a capacity as provided hereafter, for inoculation of the COVID-19 vaccines and any other activities permitted in this order,” the mayor said on Tuesday, Aug. 

Inbound travels from Panay Island will be limited to work, medical needs, accessing government services, transport of goods and construction materials, humanitarian purposes, COVID-19 vaccination, returning overseas Filipino workers (ROFs) and returning city residents, authorized persons outside residence, and residents of Iloilo and Guimaras provinces.

Starting Aug. 4 until Aug. 8, inbound travels from outside of Western Visayas shall be temporarily suspended except for ROFs.

The curfew hour will be from 8 p.m. until 4 a.m. the next day while total liquor ban is also in effect.

From Aug. 2 to Aug. 7, the city hall will also deny transactions with unvaccinated individuals.

“We are doing this for our own protection not for us. Ninety-five percent of the employees of the city government are all vaccinated,” he added.

Treñas added that 93 percent of the 231 deaths recorded in the city from January to July were unvaccinated and most were seniors.

The mayor is unsure how ready the city is if the COVID situation escalates similar to Cebu and Cagayan de Oro.

The local government has been talking to hospitals and the city’s quarantine facilities to be equipped with oxygen tanks if needed.

He added that he is also in constant communication with Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr to prepare the residents.

Defensor on Monday afternoon also released Executive Order No. 288 for additional COVID-19 surge management measures under ECQ.

The EO mandates local government units to implement enhanced localized lockdowns, and limit movement of persons on accessing essential goods and services, work or conduct of business in allowed offices, establishments, and livelihood sector.

He also ordered the 11 hospitals in the province to be ready to elevate their COVID-19 dedicated beds from 50 percent to 70 percent of their total capacity.

“The province shall continue to hire medical officers, medical specialists, nurses, and such other personnel and secure additional medical equipment and supplies to support the elevated capacity of the hospitals,” the governor said.

The city and province of Iloilo have recorded one Delta variant case each.

Iloilo City’s case, a 30-year old male, is currently in quarantine while that of the province, a 30-year old female dialysis patient, died on July 29.

As of Aug. 2, some 263 of the 403 COVID-19 dedicated beds of the province are being utilized while 1, 157 of the 3,267 beds of Ligtas COVID-19 centers in the city and municipalities are occupied.

Iloilo province has 2, 425 active COVID-19 cases, 14, 076 recoveries, and 429 deaths as of Aug. 1.PNA