Pasay toughens health protocols 

A total of 1,714 individuals were issued citation tickets in violation of health protocols and curfew hours following Pasay City Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano’s directive to the police to be on guard due to the spike of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the city, according to a report by Manila Bulletin.

Pasay City Police Chief Col. Cesar Paday-os said 1,059 were issued citation tickets for not wearing face masks, 142 for not wearing face shields, 272 for not practicing the required social distancing, and 241 for violating the curfew hours.

Paday-os said the mayor ordered the police to help in the enforcement of the localized community quarantine declared in some villages in the city and to intensify the campaign against violations of health protocols.

He said the police have been coordinating with the city government in enforcing the city’s “clustered lockdown” on 56 villages with confirmed cases.

“Hindi naman po masasabi na total lockdown ang isang buong barangay kundi iyong mga lugar o kabahayan lamang na may confirmed cases ang binabantayan namin para hindi makalabas ang mga tao,” (We cannot say it is a total lockdown in one whole barangay but only the sitios or houses with confirmed cases of COVID-19 for them not to go out), Paday-os said.

The city police chief added that people living in locked down villages can still go outside or report for work as long as they have their company ID and clearance from their barangay.

As of 7:45 p.m. on February 24, the city epidemiology and surveillance unit (CESU), officer-in-charge Mico Llorca reported that there are already about 56 barangays under localized community quarantine with 97 households that contracted the disease.