CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY MAYOR Oscar Moreno has terminated his executive order declaring a community quarantine in the city which started last March 20, paving the way for the implementation of the GENERAL COMMUNITY QUARANTINE as mandated by the national government on areas considered as moderate and low risk for covid-19 pandemic.
Mayor Moreno reported that Cagayan de Oro City is the only metropolis in the country that did not implement enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) due to its low number of cases. This despite the strong clamor of the organization of physicians in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental.
The Misamis Oriental Medical Society (MOMS) has recently made a manifesto urging the City Mayor to declare the city under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). But Moreno is firmed that ECQ is not yet advisable in the city based on IATF recommendations.
"The rest of the major cities in the country – Metro Manila, Davao, Cebu, Iloilo and Bacolod – are under enhanced community quarantine due to their large number of cases," Mayor Moreno said.
This, even with the recent revelation of the City Health Office that another patient from Northern Mindanao Center (NMMC) was confirmed positive based on swab result which arrived yesterday from Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City.
NO LOCAL GUIDELINES YET
City Administrator Teddy Sabuga-a told the media that the City is still ironing out guidelines for the implementation of GCQ in the city. Although, the National Government has already hinted some guidelines in its recent orders for the provinces and cities in the country that fall under the GCQ recommendation by the IATF.
The presidential spokesperson said that regions and provinces that will be placed under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) are those considered and identified as moderate and low-risk areas, to include the following:
Moderate-risk areas:
Abra, Ilocos Norte, La Union, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Marinduque, Camarines Sur, Aklan, Capiz, Samar, Western Samar, Zamboanga Del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Maguindanao, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Sur.
Low-risk areas:
Apayao, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Kalinga, Ilocos Sur, Batanes, Quirino, Aurora, Palawan, Romblon, Camarines Norte, Sorsogon, Masbate, Guimaras, Bohol, Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Southern Leyte, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Davao Occidental, Sarangani, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Island, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Basilan and Sulu.
For areas tagged or identified under General Community Quarantine, the following will be observed:
* workers and sectors in category I, II and III may continue to work or operate in phases;
* the general population may go out of their homes only for purposes of accessing basic necessities;
* in any case, those with ages below 21 years old and those 60 years old and above as well as those with ages ranging from 21 years old but below 60 years old but who reside * with co-morbidities or other risk factors shall stay home;
* non-leisure stores in malls and shopping centers may partially open;
higher education institutions may continue classes to finish the academic year and issue credentials to students in accordance with guidelines as may be issued by the Commission on Higher Education;
* priority and essential construction projects may resume in accordance with guidelines as may be issued by the DPWH;
* public transportation may operate at a reduced capacity in accordace with guidelines as may be issued by the DOTr;
* local government units shall enforce curfew at night for non-workers; and
airports and seaports may operate insofar as the unhampered movement of goods.
FOURTH POSITIVE CASE FOR CDO
THE fourth positive COVID-19 case registered to Cagayan de Oro City is a 21-year-old male from barangay Lumbia who was initially hospitalized last April 19 at NMMC for a vehicular accident. After his spinal cord surgery, the man possessed COVID-19 symptoms. With that, his six fellow patients at the surgical ward were immediately transferred to the isolation ward as a precaution.
He was swab-tested and the positive result came out yesterday.
The patient is currently intubated. A total of 31 health workers who took care of the patient during his accident rescue and eventual surgery are now under 14-day quarantine. None of them are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms.
The mayor said it's really hard to balance between health and economy nowadays that everyone is still surviving the crisis. "But as a leader of this city, I am duty bound to follow orders from IATF and the order was General Community Quarantine (GCQ) for Cagayan de Oro," the mayor said.
“Dili lang ta magdali-dali. Paaboton lang nato kung unsay final decision sa Manila (government). Kung pananglitan ato na abrihan, we have to be strict in our guidelines on physical distancing, wearing of face masks, etc.,” Mayor Moreno said during the May 1 press briefing at city hall.
