Ilocos Sur: 1,769 Covid-19 cases; Candon MECQ

By April M. Bravo

CANDON CITY – The provincial government of Ilocos Sur extended the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) of this city for another two weeks from May 30 to June 12 as Covid-19 cases continued to spike.
    In executive order No. 43, Gov. Ryan Luis Singson said despite measures, the threat of Covid-19 in the province remains high and alarming as there have been 1,769 recorded confirmed cases wherein 408 of them are active cases with extensive contacts and 65 of the said active cases come from the City of Candon as of May 29.
    Candon City underwent MECQ for 14-days which should have been lifted on May 29. 
    Gov. Singson also issued executive order 44 placing the municipalities of San Vicente and Sta. Maria under MECQ beginning May 31 until June 13 due to continued increase of positive cases recorded in these areas.
    “The Provincial Covid-19 Task Force recommended reclassification of these towns from modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) to MECQ after 38 active cases from San Vicente and 39 cases from Sta. Maria were recorded as of May 30,” Singson said. 
    Meanwhile, Vigan City was under MECQ until June 5. 
    In a statement, City Mayor Juan Carlo Medina said the city has 31 new Covid-19 cases recorded today. “To date, this is the highest daily recorded tally of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the city. We have 136 active cases residing in 21 barangays,” Mayor Medina said.
    “Through an executive order, we have designated Playa de Oro Resort Hotel as an isolation facility for asymptomatic confirmed Covid-19 patients because our provincial facilities have reached full capacity,” he said. “We will be hiring four more nurses and other workers to man the facility, on top of the previous health care workers we have signed as employees since the start of the pandemic.”
    “We are grateful for your cooperation but we implore – please intensify your compliance to health protocols and stay at home.     We are exhausting our resources by the day. One life lost is too much a cost,” he added.

The town of Cabugao is also under MECQ until June 8. -- PIA Ilocos Sur