More than 100 public and private vehicles from Tagum City, Davao del Norte were blocked from entering Davao City in the first hours of the lockdown as agreed by the mayors of the two cities.
The Task Force Davao (TFD) at the Lasang checkpoint in Barangay Alejandra Navarro, Bunawan District adviced the drivers of the vehicles coming from Tagum to return to their origins.
According to the report of the Davao City Task Force COVID Partial Lockdown, 21 vehicles were also escorted as they were passing Davao City.
As of 4:00 p.m. yesterday, 54 motorcycles, 45 private vehicles, 18 trucks, 11 vans, eight buses, seven jeepneys were advised to return to Tagum City. All the public vehicles were carrying passengers.
The lockdown at Lasang took effect around 7 p.m. Sunday.
On Sunday, Both Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte and Tagum City Mayor Allan Rellon released a joint statement for the imposition of the lockdown.
Based on the statement, a partial lockdown on all the entry and exit points connecting the two cities would be imposed starting 7 p.m. of March 15.
The lockdown was implemented after the Department of Health confirmed a COVID-19 positive patient at the Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) in Tagum City.
The Lasang checkpoint is the city’s entry point from Davao del Norte and other northern Davao provinces.
The stricter checkpoint inspection caused major traffic in the area.
Meanwhile, Davao del Norte’s City of Panabo has also declared a community quarantine to increase precautionary measures amid the COVID-19 threat.
Panabo and Tagum share boundaries.
The City Government of Panabo, on its Facebook page, posted Public Advisory No. 8-2020 declaring the city under the state of community quarantine.
City Mayor Jose Relampagos has directed his citizens to follow the precautionary protocols set to ensure that the virus will be contained.
“All inhabitants in this city shall adhere to the previous advisories and shall remain in their homes except for work, medical treatment or check-up, and to buy food,” Relampagos said.
He has also directed the people to avoid mass gatherings and unnecessary travels.
“Everyone shall refrain from going to mass gatherings and other unnecessary travels. In addition, entering the cities of Tagum and Davao is prohibited except under instances allowed by the respective protocols of both cities,” he said.
In Davao del Oro, Gov, Tyron Uy assured public that the provincial government, the municipal local government units, and the Department of Health (DOH) will be working to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Patient 130 is a resident of Pantukan, Davao de Oro.
Uy said they have suspended school classes in the 11 towns of the province.
A provincial inter-agency task force meeting was held yesterday, attended by mayors, municipal health officers, municipal disaster risk reduction and management officers, provincial government department heads, hospital chiefs, and other stakeholders.
The governor urged the residents to observe government advisories. (With Samantha Burgos)
