Despite the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Western Visayas, local chief executives are not keen on putting their respective areas under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
ECQ is the strictest form of lockdown imposed by the government wherein people are only allowed to go out of their houses for essential purposes.
Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said they are still monitoring the situation in Iloilo City, which is recording an average of 15 COVID-19 cases daily this month, based on data from the City Health Office.
“Bantayan ta ang cases to make sure there will be no outbreak,” said Treňas.
According to the mayor, if the cases continue to go up, he will request the governors and Bacolod City Mayor Bing Leonardia to discuss other options necessary for the region.
“The present number of cases in Iloilo City and Iloilo province and the whole of WV does not show that we have to implement a lockdown. I will not agree nga i-lockdown ta,” said Treñas.
Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. is also not in favor of placing Iloilo province under ECQ.
He said he doesn’t see the need to reimpose a province-wide hard lockdown.
Defensor believes that the situation can now be handled with the imposition of containment strategies such as localized lockdowns in specific barangays, sitios, compounds, and residences, among others.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson is likewise not open to the idea.
“I would not want Negros Occidental to reach that level where an ECQ is needed. Precisely we are asking for a moratorium of travel coming into the province (air, sea, land) for two weeks so we can contain the spike,” he told IMT News.
On Sunday, March 21, the Department of Health (DOH-6) reported 146 new cases of COVID-19 in Western Visayas.
These additional cases brought the region’s total case count to 26,592.IMT
