Cotabato City steps up measures vs COVID-19

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — The Army’s 6th Infantry Division on Thursday augmented its troops manning checkpoints at the boundaries of Cotabato City with Maguindanao’s Sultan Kudarat and Datu Odin Sinsuat towns in the city’s northern and southern sides, respectively.

The city government also deployed emergency responders at the checkpoints to help transport to hospitals in the city any sick person from Maguindanao and North Cotabato provinces.

The city has 16 isolation facilities for local coronavirus patients, Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi said Thursday.

There is only one patient confined for COVID-19 infection at the Cotabato Regional Medical Center so far.

The patient is a member of the Islamic Tabligh bloc, who along with 214 others, traveled to Malaysia last month for a congregational activity there.

One of these Tablighs, who tested positive for COVID-19, died while in the Amai Pakpak Hospital in Marawi City and was immediately buried by emergency workers clad in protective suits.

Guiani-Sayadi, chairperson of the Cotabato City disaster risk reduction and management council, said they are now trying to locate the companions of the sick Tabligh.

“We need the cooperation of all sectors in the city in protecting all residents from this COVID-19 plague,” she said.

She said the 16 ready COVID-19 isolation rooms are inside the compounds of two hospitals in Cotabato City.

The Army’s 6th Infantry Division on Thursday augmented its troops guarding the lockdown checkpoints at the boundaries of Cotabato City with Maguindanao’s Sultan Kudarat and Datu Odin Sinsuat towns in the city’s northern and southern sides, respectively.

The city government of Cotabato also deployed emergency responders at the checkpoints to help transport to hospitals in the city any sick person from Maguindanao and North Cotabato provinces.