MECQ in Tuguegarao extended until April 30

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines — This city will remain under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until April 30.

The Regional Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases approved the extension of the stricter quarantine status starting yesterday as the number of COVID-19 cases in the city continues to increase.

On Monday, the number of active cases breached 1,000 after 95 cases were recorded.

The city was downgraded from ECQ to MECQ from April 8 to 19.

Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba blamed the rise in cases to home quarantine of patients who are asymptomatic or with mild symptoms.

The city government, for its part, said hospitals and quarantine facilities are overwhelmed by COVID patients.

Also in Cagayan, 15 soldiers belonging to the 77th Infantry Battalion based in Alcala tested positive for the virus on Monday. The infected soldiers were quarantined in their camp.

In Ifugao, the municipal government building of Kiangan was closed yesterday after four employees, a councilor and three policemen were found to have contracted the virus.

Kiangan Mayor Raldis Andrei Bulayungan said the lockdown would pave the way for disinfection and contact tracing. The town has 84 active cases.

Meanwhile, the Pangasinan health office said there is no more COVID-free area in the province.

In its monitoring report, the provincial health office said all its 44 towns and four cities now have active cases. The province logged 541 active cases as of Monday.