South Cotabato, Koronadal City- At least four barangays and three communities in Polomolok town, South Cotabato province were placed under localized lockdown after the confirmed locally acquired and transmitted COVID-19 cases in the area have increased to five as of Tuesday night.
Polomolok Mayor Honey Lumayag-Matti said the preemptive 14-day lockdown, which took effect Wednesday and will run until Sept. 2, was aimed to slow down and contain the spread of the disease in other parts of the municipality.
She said the affected areas were the entire Barangays Poblacion, Cannery, Silway 8, Magsaysay, Purok 1 and 4 of Koronadal Proper, and Purok Cassava of Maligo.
Based on the mayor’s Executive Order No. 37, only one family member is allowed access to the public market once a week and should carry their South Cotabato-COVID-19 Contact Tracing System (SC-CCTS) cards.
Workers should present their company identification cards or certificates of employment and bring their SC-CCTS cards.
All those allowed to go out of their homes are mandated to wear face masks, face shields and strictly observe safe physical distancing.
Residents in areas not covered by the lockdown should limit their movements to essential transactions and observe the curfew from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Those aged 21 and below and 60 and above, pregnant women, persons with disabilities and suffering from illnesses are not allowed to leave their homes.
Matti said their surveillance teams are currently tracking other persons who possibly had direct contact with the COVID-19 patients.
“We are doing the best we can to contain this and the only way to do that is to limit the movements of our people,” she added.
