ECQ extended anew in Tuguegarao

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines — Tuguegarao City in Cagayan will be under the strictest enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) for another week.

The city information office said the regional inter-agency task force on COVID-19 (IATF) approved the recommendation to extend the ECQ status, which was supposed to end yesterday, until Sept. 5.

Representatives of the health sector asked for more time to implement stricter measures to address the spike in COVID-19 cases and critical health care utilization rate.

The city recorded seven cases of the highly infectious Delta variant in the past week. Sixty new COVID cases were recorded on Monday, bringing the number of active infections to 1,335.

Tuguegarao has been under ECQ since Aug. 12.

Mayor Carmelo Villacete of Piat said the regional IATF also approved their recommendation to place the town under ECQ from Aug. 29 to Sept. 11.

The town logged 128 active cases on Monday, with 20 deaths.

Baggao and Solana are under ECQ until Sept. 6.

The Cagayan Valley IATF said it recorded 32 Delta cases in the region as of Monday.

Isabela has the highest number of cases at 15; Cagayan, 10; Nueva Vizcaya, five, and Quirino, two.

There are 7,500 active cases in the region.

Pangasinan mayor infected

In Pangasinan, Mayor Simplicio Rosario of Binmaley said he and his wife Lorna Grace are under quarantine after they tested positive for COVID-19.

Rosario said he is asymptomatic while his wife has mild symptoms.

The municipal hall is closed until today for disinfection and antigen testing of all employees.

Last week, Councilors Franco Francisco and Vismark Valerio were found infected.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health-Western Visayas office said Negros Occidental and Bacolod City are now classified as moderate and high-risk for COVID-19, respectively.

Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said the Delta variant is triggering an increase in cases even as hospital occupancy in the province remains low at 30 to 40 percent.

Five Delta cases were detected in Negros Occidental and 10 in Bacolod, resulting in a two-week growth rate of 18 and 27 percent, respectively. – Eva Visperas, Gilbert Bayoran