Laoag back to GCQ

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan, Philippines — Laoag City in Ilocos Norte reverted to general community quarantine or GCQ on Monday due to a surge in coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 cases.

From 38 active cases on Jan. 2, a total of 127 were recorded on Monday.

The city was placed under stricter modified enhanced community quarantine on Nov. 27 last year, GCQ on Dec. 11 and modified GCQ on Dec. 25.

In Pangasinan, the municipal building in Binmaley was closed yesterday until Jan. 15 for disinfection.

The offices of the municipal disaster risk reduction and management and rural health unit will be opened to respond to emergency cases.

The city hall in Tabuk City, Kalinga was also closed for disinfection yesterday.

In Mountain Province, Mayor Franklin Odsey of Bontoc said health facilities were overwhelmed as the number of COVID-19 cases breached 100.

12 Isabela cops infected

In Isabela, 12 police officers in Ilagan City, 10 of them members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday.

City police chief Lt. Col. Virgilio Abellera Jr. said a SWAT member, who first contracted the virus, was exposed to his sibling.

Contact tracing is ongoing.

The Isabela Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases or IATF said there are 31 active cases among police officers in the province.

Negros borders to remain closed

Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson ruled out opening its borders with Negros Oriental.

“I prefer it closed because it would be difficult to monitor incoming passengers from Oriental and other provinces passing through Oriental,” Lacson said.

He was reacting to the announcement of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board regional office that it is reopening bus routes from Dumaguete City and Negros Oriental to Cebu City and vice-versa.

Lacson said he would discuss the issue with the provincial health office and the local IATF today.

The Vallacar Transit Inc. has applied for special permits for 12 of its buses plying the Dumaguete-Cebu City routes. – Artemio Dumlao, Gilbert Bayoran, Eva Visperas