COTABATO CITY—Two new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prompted the second declaration here of a “No-Movement Sunday” on Aug. 16 by the city government after two months.
Mayor Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi said she had to place the city under such restraining measure hours after two frontline workers of the Cotabato Regional Medical Center (CRMC) had tested positive of COVID-19.
“As your mayor, it is my duty to implement necessary actions that I think will best protect my constituents,” she said.
“All that we are doing in the government is for the welfare and well-being of every Cotabateño because I know that we still have a long way to go. The fight is far from over yet,” Guiani-Sayadi said.
The city still has the lowest number of COVID-19 positive cases in the whole Region XII. It also has the highest recovery rate with zero deaths recorded, she added.
The lawyer-mayor said she was supposed to announce then the good news that the city has had high rate of recovery cases, as most local COVID-19 patients have recovered. But as two more cases emerged, she had to opt for the restrictive order, which will take effect this Sunday.
Guiani-Sayadi said the No-Movement Sunday will be imposed in all the city’s 37 barangays, as part of its intensified measures against the spread of the COVID-19, Halima Satol, the city’s public information head, confirmed.
Satol noted the same measure was also implemented in June when the city was placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), regulating on movements, wherein only frontline workers and persons responding to emergency situations are allowed outside their homes.
“This time is no different as it will be implemented under such conditions. Only pharmacies and drug stores can open and there will be no public transportation available,” a statement issued by the city PIO said.
The lady mayor said the No-Movement Sunday is deemed necessary, even though the city has been classified by the National Task Force on Covid19 in the category of Philippine cities under a Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ).
“This is to give time for all commercial establishments to disinfect and also for our markets to be cleaned,” she said.
“Aside from following the minimum health standards, the people also have to have a day of rest to help decrease the chance of spreading the virus,” Guiani-Sayadi said.
The city statement said the two new cases have had no records of recent travels, so the city’s Contact Tracing Team “is now intensifying their investigation to determine the source of the virus.”
Apart from No-Movement Sunday the city is still imposing the odd-even scheme traffic regulation on private vehicles from Mondays to Saturdays and is implementing the ordinance on the mandatory wearing of face masks in public.
