Report about hard lockdown for 3 days not true – Ferro

Police man a checkpoint along Salvador Street in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City in this June 27, 2020 photo. Today, July 11, PRO-7 Chief Albert Ignatius Ferro says claims circulating online about a three-day lockdown in Cebu City is not true.| CDN Digital file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — There is no truth about the circulating rumor or report about a three-day lockdown, which is said to be implemented before the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) of Cebu City will be lifted.

Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, Police Regional Office (PRO-7) chief, told reporters in a phone interview that he would be checking about the rumors, but he said that there were no directives he had received about the information.

“For those that are spreading (these rumors), unless it is coming from a public official, from IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force)  from the group of General Cimatu, then we have to confirm it with them before we could act on this,” said Ferro.

Ferro said he also did not recommend that there would be a hard lockdown prohibiting anyone to go out because there would be goods and supplies that would need to require authorized persons outside residence (APOR) to go out.

Read more: Granular lockdowns for barangays in Cebu City—Cimatu

He said the public might have misunderstood a suggestion from Secretary Galvez before, which was about a granular lockdown for barangays with most COVID-19 cases for at least three days so all the residents would be tested and enough time for the results to come out.

He said that these would then lead to the immediate isolation of individuals who would test positive while the lockdown would then be lifted.

However, Ferro said this was only a suggestion which was not directed to be put into action./dbs