4 LU towns seek strict quarantine

By Eva Visperas and Raymund Catindig

SAN FERNANDO CITY -- La Union Gov. Emmanuel Ortega sought to revert the towns of Aringay, Naguilian, Luna and Tubao to modified enhanced community quarantine or MECQ today until April 21 to contain the surge in COVID-19 cases.
    Ortega said the local chief executives of the four towns agreed to place their areas under stricter quarantine.
    In a memorandum issued on Tuesday, Ortega said half of the barangays in each of the towns have been recording a number of new cases daily.
    As of Tuesday, Naguilian recorded 158 active cases; Luna, 90; Aringay, 84, and Tubao, 80.
    Ortega said La Union has been classified as “critical epidemic risk,” with its daily attack rate at 19.75 percent.
    The regional Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases is expected to concur with Ortega’s proposal.
    Meanwhile, 23 health workers at the Alcala Municipal Hospital in Cagayan, who have received their COVID-19 jabs, tested positive for the virus on Tuesday.
    Mayor Christine Antonio said among those infected are doctors and nurses. She said 14 of the patients were confined in the hospital.
    Antonio said most of those infected had just reported for work after taking a break to be with their families.
    The family members of those infected underwent swab testing.
Cagayan provincial health officer Carlos Cortina said all hospital employees have received the first dose of their COVID-19 jabs.     He did not specify the vaccine that was administered.
    Early this month, a health worker died and 30 other employees at the Cagayan Valley Medical Center, who have been inoculated against COVID-19, tested positive for the virus.
    The Department of Health-Cagayan Valley regional office said there is no reason to believe that the health worker died because of the vaccine. The fatality was inoculated on March 12.
    The other infected hospital workers are among more than 1,500 employees who received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on March 7. They were supposed to get their second dose last Monday.