Labangon placed under lockdown with 14 COVID-19 cases

Disinfection of Sitio Santo Niño in Barangay Labangon. | Photo courtesy of Barangay Labangon

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Barangay Labangon in Cebu City is seeing a slow rise of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) within its barangay.

From the previously five recorded cases, there are now a total of 14 cases in Labangon. Nine cases were recorded on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, after the series of mass testing in the area.

Barangay Captain Victor Buendia has now placed the entire barangay under lockdown with at least three Sitios under total lockdown.

Sitios Callejon and Sto. Niño, and the sitios along Katipunan Street are under total lockdown with the residents no longer allowed to go out of their residences.

The barangays have assigned a worker per sitio that would cater to the needs of the residents such as buy food and medicine or purchase other needs.

For the rest of Labangon, they may still go to the nearest pharmacy, grocery store, or market within the Labangon jurisdiction, but they cannot go out of the barangay.

Only vehicles and people delivering goods into the barangay may enter and leave it. Medical frontliners and those who still need to work outside the barangay may also cross the borders, but they are strictly monitored.

“I have to do this for my barangay. I cannot wait for the cases to rise. It does not matter if there are violent reactions, what matters is the safety of the residents,” said Buendia.

As of now, the individual sitios are strongly encouraged to lock up their own areas and ensure that outsiders are not allowed to enter.

Disinfection in affected areas is also being done by the barangay to prevent the spread of the virus.

Buendia said they have already put up all defenses against the spread of the virus. He hopes this would be enough to control the disease from infecting more residents. /rcg