Police Colonel Josefino Ligan, chief of Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) together with Police Major Juanito Alaras of Mabolo Police station, conduct a foot patrol inside Sitio Zapatera, Barrio Luz, in this April 12, 2020 photo courtesy of the CCPO.
CEBU CITY, Philippines— Police here said it will continue to implement security measures and protocols in Sitio Zaptera, Barangay Luz, even after the lockdown due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was lifted on Wednesday noon, May 20, 2020.
Read: Lockdown lifted in Sitio Zapatera
According to Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, regional director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), the police will not be complacent with the lifting of the lockdown in the densely populated area, considering that Cebu City is still under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
“Since we are not moving to GCQ, the same protocols will be applied to Barangay Luz, especially in sitio Zapatera, because since it has become the epicenter of [COVID-19 cases in] Cebu City earlier,” said Ferro.
“Gradual lessening of restrictions [soon], but for now we have to secure that place. Once the local government has come up with credible data with the numbers of the residents tested to be negative, maybe we can relax the restrictions,” he added.
Latest data shows Zapatera has 189 cases of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, stricter security measures are also being implemented in Sitio Alaska, Barangay Mambaling, which is considered one of the hot spots of COVID-19 cases in Cebu City with around 600 cases.
Read: Residents in Alaska Mambaling more cooperative after deployment of more cops, tank
“We have to secure those areas to contain the contamination of the virus to the neighboring barangays. The very example of this is Alaska, sitio Alaska in Mambaling, most of the people are really, not following instructions that’s why we are deploying our SWAT team to conduct rekurida with the armed forces with the armored vehicle para talagang mag sunod sila,” said Ferro.
(We have to secure those areas to contain the contamination of the virus to the neighboring barangays. The very example of this is Alaska, sitio Alaska in Mambaling, most of the people are really, not following instructions that’s why we are deploying our SWAT team to conduct roving with the armed forces with the armored vehicle to keep them inside their homes.) /bmjo