Marikina puts street on ‘indefinite’ lockdown

MANILA, Philippines — The Marikina City government has placed under lockdown a crowded street in Barangay Nangka after a new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case was discovered in the area, Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said yesterday.

“F. Manalo street will remain under lockdown until we finish contact tracing. There is a 50-meter radius of the quarantine area that is being implemented from the house where the COVID-19 positive was discovered,” Teodoro told reporters.

He noted that no definite date has been set for the end of the lockdown.

The city government will also conduct mass testing of residents within the quarantine area, he added.

Teodoro said the city government found the patient through a link map system it uses to trace individuals who came into contact with the 109 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Marikina.

“We have done contact tracing for the 109 COVID-19 positive patients and because of this, we were able to create a link map to determine the whereabouts of those who came into contact with them,” Teodoro added.

In March, the city government ordered the temporary closure of the Marikina public market’s wet section after the death of a 72-year-old vendor who exhibited COVID-19 symptoms.

Teodoro said they are expecting a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases because of the ongoing mass testing.

As of May 7, the city has recorded at least 124 cases, including 30 recoveries and 20 deaths. Probable cases were recorded at 17, while there were 11 suspect cases.