Digos City Mayor Josef F. Cagas has placed the entire city under a community quarantine following the surge of positive cases of the Coronovirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country.
Barely a day after a positive case was confirmed from Tagum City and a partial lockdown has been imposed in Tagum City and Davao City, Digos City followed suit today by declaring a community quarantine through Executive Order No. 19-2020.
Immediately after signing the EO, Cagas held a press conference to inform the public about the city declaration as a precautionary measure to prevent the entry of the virus in the city.
The guidelines specifies, among others, that all public and private vehicles from Tagum City, Iligan City and other local government units that have confirmed COVID-19 cases are prohibited from entering Digos City except those with official, valid and urgent purpose such as medical purposes.
The vehicles from these areas, which will pass through Digos City while en route to their destinations will be escorted by the concerned authorities.
Residents are advised to stay in their homes, and shall only go out when they will go to work, buy food and medicines, go to hospitals and do things that are urgent and very essential in nature.
All public and mass gatherings are disbanded, and everyone is mandated to strictly observe social distancing and proper hand washing at all times.
Religious institutions are also urged to observe social distancing in the celebration of their religious practices and gatherings.
There will also be monitoring and thermal scanning of all persons coming in and out of the city.
Also under the EO, a Central Operation for COVID-19 will be created, which will establish a barangay isolation unit (BIU) for persons under monitoring (PUMs) and patients under investigation (PUIs) separately.
It further provides that the makeshift BIUs will be determined by the DepEd Division through the help of the Punong Barangay.
A curfew will be imposed through the issuance of an ordinance by the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
The City Health Office is mandated to sternly monitor disinfection in the workplace and homes, while sanitary checkpoints in all entry and exit points of the city will be conducted.
Cagas urged the cooperation of all his constituents, and raised the significance of following the guidelines.
As of March 15, Digos City has recorded two PUIs and 23 PUMs according to the Provincial Health Office.
Davao del Sur Governor Douglas Cagas has earlier pronounced that he may declare a community quarantine in the entire province in the event that two or more local government units will place their respective area under community quarantine.
So far, Digos City is the first LGU to do such in the province. (PIA- Carina L. Cayon)