Lapu police ready should city be placed under Alert Level 3

The Lapu-Lapu City Hall. CDN Digital photo | Brian J. Ochoa

CEBU CITY, Philippines — There will be no major adjustments in the security measures should Lapu-Lapu City be placed under Alert Level 3 due to the recent rise in COVID-19 infection, the city’s police said.

This was the statement of Police Colonel Arnel Banzon, chief of the Lapu-Lapu Police Office (LLCPO) after Department of Health spokesperson and undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that there is a possibility that Lapu-Lapu City’s Alert Status 2 will be escalated to Alert Level 3 after they recorded a two-week growth rate in COVID-19 infections.

Over this, Banzon said that no major adjustments will be put in place since their police deployment has been in place ever since the city was placed under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) last August, General Community Quarantine (GCQ) last  September, and Alert Level 2 to this date.

Banzon, however, that if the city’s alert level status is escalated, they will implement stricter implementation of health protocols and mandated restrictions.

He said that their curfew is still in place, checkpoints are regularly conducted, observance of health protocols is observed despite allowing some indoor activities and serving of liquors in establishments.

“Way problema sa amoa kay naanad naman ta. Ang police kay prepared man ta same ra atong deployment event pag MECQ before. Way problema sa amo, dali raman mi maka adjust,” Banzon added

(There is no problem with us since we are already used to it. The police are also prepared as we have the same deployment even since we were in MECQ before. No problem with us, we can adjust easily.)

Banzon also added that compared to previous months, the number of arrested quarantine violators has decreased.

Last November 22, Vergeire, said that Lapu-Lapu City is part of the 13 other areas that they are closely monitoring due to the rising cases of infections.

“However, we have observed that metrics for Lapu-Lapu City may require escalation from Alert Level 2 to Alert 3,” Vergeiresaid.

“Lapu-Lapu City now show a positive two-week growth rate and is currently in the moderate-risk rate classification. With these numbers, Lapu-Lapu City will be monitored if they will need to be escalated to Alert Level 3,” she added.

Last October 20, the entire Cebu island was placed under Alert Level 2.

According to the guidelines from the Inter-Agency Task Force, Alert Level 2 refers to ‘areas wherein case transmission is low and decreasing, healthcare utilization is low, or case counts are low but increasing, or case counts are low and decreasing but total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate is increasing.’

Alert Level 3, on the other hand, refers to ‘areas wherein case counts are high and/or increasing, with total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate at increasing utilization.’

READ: What to Expect: Entire Cebu under Alert Level 2