A 48-hour “hard lockdown” will be implemented in Sampaloc, Manila due to the increasing number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the district. The recent data of the Manila Health Department show that there are 106 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 159 suspected persons in the area, the highest number in the capital city.
Under Executive Order No. 21, the “hard lockdown” will be imposed starting April 23, 8:00 p.m. to April 25. 8:00 p.m. Residents will not be allowed to go out and quarantine passes will be temporarily void except for the essential workers such as medical frontliners, police officers, military officers and media practitioners.
The Manila Local Government Unit (LGU) announced the lockdown of Sampaloc earlier to give residents time to prepare for the “hard lockdown”. 250 police officers and 150 Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel will man the control points in the area to ensure the implementation of the “hard lockdown”.
The Manila Health Department will also grab the opportunity to perform disease surveillance, testing and rapid risk assessment. – Report from Keneth Paciente
