Residents of Iloilo province who work and visit Iloilo City are required by the government to observe reverse isolation when returning home. This was stressed by Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. after he cited the latest data from the Provincial Health Office which showed that 65 percent of COVID-19 cases were tracked from residents who came back from Iloilo City. In one instance, 13 persons got infected after attending a fiesta in Iloilo City which was also attended by a COVID-19-positive person.
The governor said that imposing inter-zonal restrictions is not ideal since the city and neighboring provinces are economically dependent on each other. Gov. Defensor noted that the best strategy to avoid local transmission is a stricter reverse isolation policy. This includes practicing the “3M strategy”: Mag Maskara, Mag Distancia, kag Manghinaw (wear masks, practice social distancing, and wash hands). He also encouraged families to separate utensils and other personal belongings as part of the strategy. The people who should observe this protocol are those who have exposure in hospitals, health facilities, or workplaces in Iloilo City, he added [1].
36 Iloilo villages record zero COVID-19 cases
In the month of October, 36 of the 180 barangays in Iloilo have recorded zero cases of COVID-19, according to the data collected by the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) of the City Health Office. As of October 22, these are the villages in Iloilo City that are COVID-19-free [2]:
• Arroyo
• Flores
• General Hughes
• Gloria
• Hipodromo
• Inday
• Jalandoni Wilson
• Kahirupan
• Kauswagan
• Legaspi Dela Rama
• Liberation
• Ma. Clara
• Malipayon-Delgado
• Osmeña
• Rizal Estanzuela
• Roxas Village
• San Agustin
• San Felix
• San Jose
• Tanza Baybay
• Tanza Bonifacio
• Bantud
• Hinactacan
• Laguda
• Magdalo
• Rizal Lapuz Sur
• Calubihan
• El 98
• San Jose
• Seminario
• Hibao-an Norte
• NHA 2
• North Avanceña
• Tap-oc
• San Pedro
• West Habog-habog