THE Provincial Government of Davao Oriental will be adopting the resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) placing the province under general community quarantine (GCQ) until the end of September 2021.
Provincial Task Force on Covid-19 Action Officer Dr. Reden Bersaldo said in a virtual presser on Tuesday evening, September 7, 2021, that they will abide by the national IATF’s classification despite their recent appeal for a two-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from September 8 to 21, 2021 on Friday, September 3.
The Provincial Task Force had a meeting that checked on the current data and statistics of the province, including the new cases, deaths during surge, health system capacity. This had prompted the body to recommend an ECQ for the province due to the rising number of patients needing medical intervention.
Governor Nelson Dayanghirang led an emergency meeting, wherein the decision to place the province under a stricter quarantine restriction was unanimously agreed upon by all local chief executives of the province.
The local government aims to implement strict border control to deter non-essential travels.
However, Bersaldo said they received news that there is a need to get permission from the national IATF for the next quarantine classification.
The province wrote a letter signed by Dayanghirang appealing to the IATF that for the next classification, the province will be placed under ECQ.
Bersaldo also said the governor also talked to IATF officials, appealing for the province to be placed under ECQ.
“Bisan dili ECQ atong quarantine classification karon, aduna gihapo’y mga restriction nga nahitabo sa GCQ, the health official said.
(Even if quarantine classification is not ECQ, there will still be restrictions under GCQ.)
The curfew will now be from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Previously, it starts at 10 p.m.
The province will also be implementing a 24-hour liquor ban, wherein selling and drinking liquor in public places is strictly prohibited.
Organizing events will now be strictly monitored as organizers need to secure permits from the local government.
As of the latest report, Covid-19 cases in the province have already reached 5,981, of which 1,295 are active.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths already reached 170, prompting the Provincial Task Force to heighten protocols to prevent the further spread of the virus.
Bersaldo said they are alarmed with the increasing number of Covid-19 deaths in the province, saying that they are recording at least two deaths per day.
He reported during an emergency meeting on Friday, September 3, 2021, that the surge in cases has placed the province under Alert Level IV and categorized with a high epidemic risk level.
Bersaldo said the province recorded a 286-percent increase in the number of cases in just a matter of three months.
He identified the City of Mati and the municipalities of Baganga, Governor Generoso and Lupon as the local government units (LGUs) experiencing a surge.
Based on the Covid-19 status report, Davao Oriental had a positivity rate of 14 percent, while the recovery rate plummeted to 75.2 percent.
Case fatality ratio, on the other hand, rose to 2.8 percent, which was already almost double the national rate of 1.7 percent.
Meanwhile, Covid-19-related deaths have also increased.
For August 2021 alone, Davao Oriental already recorded 55 deaths out of the total 159 deaths.
The health official added that 90.6 percent of the total number of deaths were unvaccinated and mostly with comorbidities, while 8.8 percent already had their first dose. The remaining 0.6 percent of the deaths were fully vaccinated.
Bersaldo cited the presence of new variants, the unrestricted movement of the people, and the continuing disregard to the minimum health protocols as the main culprits for the surge.
He said if this goes on, isolation facilities will be congested and could no longer accommodate additional cases.
Bersaldo also cited the public’s disregard for health protocols and lack of seriousness of the pandemic as reasons for the surge, adding that some attend social gatherings without using face masks and disregarding proper physical distancing.
