LAMUT, Ifugao– The rising cases of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the province prompted some municipal mayors to declare lockdowns and suspend work in government offices and travel to other places.
Alfonso Lista Mayor Edralin Alipio, in his Executive Order No. 01 series of 2021, imposed a temporary lockdown of government offices within the perimeter of the municipal compound from 1:00PM of January19 to 6:00PM of January 22 due to the seven newly confirmed cases.
Employees holding critical positions and personnel of the rural health unit (RHU) in charge of swabbing and contact tracing and disinfection are exempted from the lockdown. The RHU, in partnership with other offices, shall intensify prevention, detection, isolation and other related health measures.
Movements of individuals going out of the municipality shall be limited to accessing essential basic goods and services.
In Asipulo, Mayor Armando Domilod placed sitios Likud and Proper of barangays Haliap and Amduntog, respectively, under calculated lockdown until January 21 for contact tracing of the direct and secondary contacts of the new cases in said places. It will be extended or lifted earlier depending on the recommendation of the contact tracing team. Concerned agencies and officials were directed to ensure that the movements of people are monitored. In Hungduan, the Municipal Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 placed also barangay Hapao on a 24-hour lockdown from7:00PM ofJan. 19 to7:00PM of Jan. 20 while the local government unit will be closed on January 20-21 and the issuance of business permits is extended to January 25.
Kiangan Mayor Raldis Andre Bulayunganalso ordered lockdown in sitio Ibulao in barangays Baguinge and Matuppik in Duit until midnight of January 20 to facilitate efficient contact tracing of the close contacts of the latest cases.
For the municipality of Mayoyao, Mayor Jimmy Padchanan, Jr. imposed a three-day provisional lockdown in Barangay Chumang and a granular lockdown over Sitio Chuyong, Chumang until Jan. 31 for complete and efficient contact tracing and swabbing due to a new COVID-19 case in the area.
Padchanan also temporarily suspended non-essential travels to and from the municipalities of Lamut, Alfonso Lista, Hungduan, Asipulo, Kiangan and Lagawe until Jan. 21 to give ample time to the medical teams of said municipalities to conduct efficient contact tracing and swab tests.
Meanwhile, Banaue Mayor John Raymund Wesley Dulawan announced that LGU offices will remain closed until further notice to enable the contact tracing team to identify, test and manage all direct contacts of an LGU employee who tested positive for COVID-19.
The Provincial Health Office reported that as of Jan. 19, Ifugao has a total of 239 cases with 131 recoveries, 107 active and one death while 1,251 possible cases are on quarantine in the different municipalities. **JDP/MBL- PIA CAR, Ifugao
