Garganera: Lockdown in Abellanosa compound will be lifted soon, other areas to follow

Residents of Sitio Callejon in Barangay Labangon were allowed to leave their homes to buy essentials after Mayor Edgardo Labella ordered for the lifting of the lockdown in the area on June 4. | CDND File photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Residents of the first six sitios (subvillages) in Cebu City that were placed under granular lockdown will already be relieved of their miseries soon.

Councilor Joel Garganera, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) czar of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) in the city, said that they are now considering the possibility of lifting the lockdown in these areas as soon as residents are declared COVID-free by health officials.

He said that there is a great possibility that the granular lockdown in Abellanosa Compound in Barangay Quiot will be lifted ahead of the other areas following the issuance of a clearance by the City Health Department.

CHD’s swab test on affected residents yielded negative results.

Garganera said that they are only waiting for the concurrence of the Central Visayas IATF before they could formally order the lifting of the lockdown in the area.

“Anytime soon, today or tomorrow, Abellanosa compound will be lifted out of lockdown,” he said.

The implementation of medical interventions will continue in Sitio Eyha in Barangay Guadalupe, Balaga Drive to Sitio Cekalco in Barangay Labangon, Tuada Compound in Barangay Tisa, Sitio San Isidro in Barangay Quiot, and C. Mina Extension in  Barangay Mabolo.

Garganera said that to date, contact tracing and swab testing is still being conducted in these communities to identify all COVID-positive residents and give them the needed medical intervention.

The implementation of granular lockdowns in Cebu City started on July 25.

READ: Six areas in five Cebu City barangays placed under lockdown

Meanwhile, Garganera said that there may be a need to extend the five-day lockdown that was implemented in three areas in Barangay Bacayan because of the need to implement more medical interventions there.

But he clarified that the three affected areas are not sitios but a smaller area occupied by a few households.

“We are working nga makarecover na gyod nang mga active cases nato,” he said.

(We are working to identify and treat all the active cases.) / dcb