EOC assures Guadalupe not singled out in granular lockdown implementation

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Emergency Operations Center (EOC) said Barangay Guadalupe is not been singled out in the implementation of a granular lockdown.

This was the response Councilor Joel Garganera, the deputy chief implementor of the EOC, to the request of Guadalupe Barangay Captain Michael Gacasan to give them two weeks to reduce the COVID-19 cases in their village.

READ: Guadulupe village chief reappeals ‘granular lockdown’

Garganera clarified that the granular lockdown was only for a specific compound inside a subdivision in Guadalupe where three houses were affected by the transmission.

However, this does not mean that the granular lockdown will be the same as it was during the first wave in 2020 or even the second wave in the first quarter of 2021.

“Actually what we did, naay usa ka subdivision dira nga daghan og cases. So what we did, we made a granular lockdown. That’s very normal man, that’s what we do everyday. With regards sauna sa ila sa barangay, we are not doing that everywhere,” said the councilor.

The granular lockdown is only a protocol for areas with transmission and the barangay should not be worried for now.

“Dili ra man ang Guadalupe ang nagsaka, all over the city the cases are rising. This is not something to worry about. Guadalupe has the highest cases because they also have the biggest population,” said Garganera.

The granular lockdown is only preventive measure to prevent further spread and when the patients have recovered, the granular lockdown will also be lifted.

Garganera understands that the news of the lockdown may have caused worry for residents in the city for fear that more granular lockdowns will occur and he said though the circumstance are different, this should also serve as a wake up call for them.

He said that if people are worried of granular lockdowns in their area, they must be proactive in preventing transmission by following the health protocols of wearing masks and social distancing.

READ: Police, tanods deployed in Guadalupe sitio with rising COVID-19 cases

Still, based on the data of the EOC, the rising cases have been managed well with hospitals rising to the occasion and activating COVID-19 dedicated beds.

The city recorded 181 new cases on July 20, 2021, based on Department of Health records and currently has 1,581 active cases.

The hospital occupancy rate is now at 50 percent, which is higher than what EOC is comfortable with, and they have noticed that most people getting admitted are also experiencing severe symptoms of the virus.

“Just today, 15 kabuok ang na admit. For the last one week, double figures na gyod ta. That is something that we are not happy about. We know our hospitals are doing their bests, opening COVID wards,” said the councilor.

Garganera hopes that the public, including the workplaces and business establishments, will cooperate better in complying with health protocols as the last thing the city government wants is for the cases to get out of control again.

/bmjo