By Jennifer P. Rendon and Joseph B.A. Marzan
Feels like 2020 again.
Amid rising COVID-19 cases, Iloilo City residents will have to brace for stricter protocols as the city reverted to the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ).
On Wednesday, Mayor Jerry Treñas bombarded his Facebook page with announcements relative to measures to curb the spread of the virus.
One announcement by the mayor made that brought back memories of community lockdowns in 2020 was the proposed issuance of quarantine passes which will restrict the movement of residents.
Following his meeting with the Iloilo City COVID team, Treñas said they will reimpose the quarantine pass system which will only allow one family member to go out for essential errands.
“We will revert to the quarantine passes. Only one quarantine pass will be provided per family for essential purposes,” the mayor said.
The quarantine pass was first introduced on April 6, 2020, when the city was still under the stricter Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).
He also reported that Iloilo City recorded 109 new cases as of June 1, 2021, composed of 22 index cases and 78 local transmissions, and excluding 3 Returning Residents.
Citing reports from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), cases are still increasing, and even small barangays were not spared.
Per National Inter-Agency Task Force Resolution No. 118-A, Iloilo City was identified as a critical risk area under MECQ.
Western Visayas also recorded a drastic increase of COVID-19 cases, while the city ranked first in the total number of cases per population basis.
“The whole region is experiencing a surge, and we must do the necessary means to stop the transmission to protect more lives,” Treñas said.
The similarity between the previous and present iterations of the quarantine pass rule is that only one person would be allowed per family or household to avail of the pass through their respective barangays.
Treñas told Daily Guardian via phone interview that like last year’s pass, workers in essential establishments would be exempted.
Those working in the city coming from Iloilo province would also be exempted, provided that they could show their ID at the border checkpoints.
“There would be exemptions, for example, for essential workers, they wouldn’t need quarantine pass. But it is important that there would be at least one quarantine pass in the family or household because we are limiting movement,” Treñas said.
The mayor also said that in the wake of the city government’s request to temporarily suspend travel between Iloilo City and Negros Occidental, the lack of a quarantine pass may result in their detention by local law enforcement, but he declined to state the legal basis for the said detention.
Executive Order (EO) No. 50 s.2021 issued on Tuesday sought to extend the suspension which started on May 25, but this still needs approval from the national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID).
Suspension of travel was lifted on Tuesday, June 1, following a joint advisory of the regional IATF-MEID and the Regional Task Force against COVID-19 (RTF COVID-19) dated May 31, 2021 but was issued May 30.
“One of our aberrations is that we are requesting suspension of travel between Negros Occidental and Iloilo City. We don’t know if that would be resolved soon. If it would be, and we would have the quarantine pass restriction then, when they come here, what would happen? Because if you would come without a quarantine pass, you may be detained by police and compliance officers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Treñas said he also reached a verbal agreement with the local Roman Catholic churches that they will holding stop masses with churchgoers inside, and shifting to virtual or livestreamed masses in the meantime.
EO No. 50 allows religious gatherings at a capacity of 10 percent, excluding wakes, funerals, and necrological services, which are explicitly limited to members of the immediate family or household.
At the onset of the increasing trend in COVID-19 cases, the mayor appealed to employers and government offices to adopt work-from-home or skeletal workforce.
Treñas also asked landlords and other business establishments to waive their rents “so they can realign their budget to their necessities.”
“I am hoping that we help share the compassion with our fellows,” he said.
OVERWHELMED HOSPITAL FACILITIES
As the city is in the thick of the campaign against the virus and the vaccination rollout, Treñas said they are expecting more cases in the coming next weeks as vigorous contact tracing and swab testing are conducted to mitigate the surge.
Treñas has repeatedly said that hospitals are already overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases.
Hospital beds and quarantine facilities in the city are running out and nurses, caregivers, and other medical personnel are also lacking.
From May 26 to May 30, the city has recorded more than 100 cases per day with the daily average rate now at 96 cases in May 2021.
Iloilo City has already enlisted the help of medical volunteers from the Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, and Bureau of Fire Protection.
Treñas on Wednesday also announced opening of applications for additional 25 nurses, 44 nursing aides, and 22 utility workers, who would be assigned to private hospitals and the West Visayas State University Medical Center (WVSUMC) in Jaro district.
According to him, compensation for these temporary hires would be taken from the city’s 2021 budget, but he declined to state how much was allocated and added that he may request for supplemental budget from the Iloilo City Council if necessary.
“We are facing a tremendous problem, and we all have a story to tell about the virus. It is now time to work together for the safety of all,” he said.
The mayor said this was part of their assistance to the city’s hospitals, which have become cramped due to the growing number of COVID-19 cases.
Hospitals are also reeling from the outstanding debt of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), which he said was at P860 million as of March 2021.
“We will be hiring them, but we would be detailing them to the private hospitals and [WVSUMC], because in the past 2 or 3 weeks, I have said that hospitals are being overwhelmed. PhilHealth hasn’t paid their debt yet although they are saying they will commit. This is just our opportunity to help,” said the mayor.
The mayor also said that he “did not know whether or not the new hiring would be enough, but we are just doing our best.”
He also said that the city government would also be seeking to hire additional doctors and nurses for their quarantine facilities.
Meanwhile, Treñas said 5 hospitals have tapped hotels as annexes to treat and isolate asymptomatic and mild COVID-19 patients.
One hospital in Mandurriao, Iloilo City is offering Out-of-Hospital Care (OH-C) Program.
The arrangement bodes well for hotels which are reeling from the slack in tourism activities due to the pandemic.
Earlier, the Iloilo City Government reported that 193 COVID-19 patients were waiting for available beds in hospitals.
