DAVAO CITY — The first day of the partial lockdown being implemented in Davao City and Tagum City was generally peaceful, with no records of resistance from motorists and passengers at the Lasang checkpoint.
“Meron iba at first nagpupumilit, pero sumunod din naman after maipaliwanag sa kanila,” Task Force (TF) Davao Commander Colonel Consolito Yecla told the Mirror.
(There were some who tried to insist, but they followed when we explained the situation to them.)
Yecla said as of Monday afternoon, three buses with passengers, 10 vans with passengers, 45 private vehicles, and 51 motorcycles were redirected to Tagum City.
They were also able to escort 21 vehicles with passengers living or working in this city who were allowed to enter.
Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 spokesperson Major Eudisan Gultiano also said there were no recorded incidents related to the enforcement of the partial lockdown
“The people are cooperative,” Gultiano told the Mirror.
BACK TO ORIGIN. A Task Force Davao personnel escorts a passenger into a Tagum-bound bus at Barangay Lasang checkpoint after failing to present any document that would prove her residency in Davao City. ARJOY M. CENIZA
Contain the disease
The partial lockdown was declared after a 21-year-old female who came from the United Kingdom tested positive for COVID-19 and is now at the Davao Regional Medical Center in Tagum City, the first case in Davao Region.
The patient is a resident of Pantukan and was brought to Tagum City for hospitalization.
In a live radio interview at 87.5 DCDR on Monday afternoon, Mayor Sara Duterte said Tagum City needs to contain the disease in order to prevent it from spreading to other areas.
Sara reiterated the possibility that the disease is already in Davao City and it is “just a matter of time” before it is discovered.
She said all precautionary measures are being done right now to ensure the disease does not spread.
“The lockdown is necessary to contain the disease, that is why here in Davao we are asking the public to cooperate and follow our guidelines because this is a national security matter. I have the obligation to ensure your safety,” she said.
MASKED. As a safety measure against the spread of COVID-19, masked civilians and military officials are common sights in Davao City, especially at the Barangay Lasang checkpoint — the main gateway of the people from Tagum City and other neighboring towns. ARJOY M. CENIZA
Sara asked Davaoeños to avoid being in contact with people coming from Tagum, Pantukan in Davao de Oro, and areas where a positive case of COVID-19 has been declared.
The 24-hour period in which vehicles are allowed to enter from the north ended at 7 p.m. Monday.
“After the 24 hours all vehicles from the northern part of the region can no longer enter the city except for those cargo trucks. They are allowed to enter provided that the driver and his assistant will not disembark from the vehicle,” the mayor said.
Meanwhile, the city government is currently looking for means to help sectors that will be affected by COVID-19 such as drivers and contractual workers.
“We are currently thinking of ways how we can help them and what assistance can we give,” she said.
Last Sunday, Sara said vendors at the Roxas Night Market will be enrolled in the cash-for-work program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) handled by the city government.
She said she has also asked DOLE to create a plan for workers in the public sector who will be affected because of the no-work-no-pay practice.
March 16, 2020 – Monday 6:03 PM by
FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA, RUTH PALO
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