(UPDATED) Manila City Mayor Francisco Domagoso on Monday, March 8, 2021, ordered law enforcement units to tighten health and security measures as coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases continued to increase.
In a statement, the Manila City Public Information Office said the mayor's key directives are:
Other local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila have also imposed measures against Covid-19 transmission.
In Pasay City, 83 barangays were placed on lockdown. This was lifted on Friday in 20 barangays.
In Caloocan City, Mayor Oscar Malapitan said he will issue an executive order re-imposing curfew hours and the use of color-coded quarantine passes in the city.
Curfew will be from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. starting on Wednesday, March 10, Malapitan said.
The quarantine passes will be used in supermarkets and public markets.
Malapitan said he also directed policemen and law enforcers to penalize health protocol violators.
As of March 7, there were 196 active Covid-19 cases in Caloocan. A total of 14,894 have been infected, including 475 who died from Covid-19.
In Quezon City, Vice Mayor Gian Sotto reminded law enforcers and the public of the enforcement of local laws such as special concern lockdowns and QC public safety hours.
In Valenzuela City, Mayor Rex Gatchalian said they will continue the strict implementation of "no home quarantine."
He said they will also continue the mass testing and contact tracing activities.
Gatchalian said they were also stocking on food to ensure assistance to residents should the need to impose lockdown arise.
Measures in Manila
Domagoso, better known as Isko Moreno, issued the directive in a meeting Monday with all 14 MPD station commanders led by Police Brigadier General Leo Francisco and officials of the nation's capital.
"Lalo nating higpitan ang pagpapatupad ng minimum health protocols sa lahat ng kalsada at barangay sa Maynila, upang matigil ang tumataas na bilang ng kaso ng Covid-19 sa lungsod," the mayor told Francisco.
Domagoso, however, reminded the police to remain courteous to the public.
"Mahigpit tayo, ngunit magalang pa rin sa Batang Maynila," Domagoso said.
The mayor also informed MBB Director Romy Bagay that barangay-level lockdowns are now authorized should Covid-19 cases rise in communities.
"Kapag tuloy-tuloy na lumobo ang kaso ng Covid-19 sa alinmang barangay, automatic mong i-lockdown. Coordinate with the MPD and General Francisco for the security plan," Domagoso told the MBB chief.
Hundreds of Covid-19 safety marshals will again be deployed in the nation's capital as Domagoso ordered the MTPB to augment the security personnel of the MPD.
"Muling pagalain mo ang mga Covid-19 safety marshals natin. Magsaway sila ng mga pasaway sa kalsada. Tuloy-tuloy tayo, walang patid, lalo na sa susunod na dalawang linggo," Domagoso told MTPB Director Dennis Viaje.
With the tighter restrictions, Domagoso ordered the preparation of food boxes to be distributed to more than 700,000 families in the city.
This directive is part of the city's Covid-19 food security program, where more than 700,000 families are assured of a monthly food box from the Manila City government.
As of Monday, Manila City has recorded 825 active Covid-19 cases. So far, 27,447 Manila City residents have recovered while 813 had succumbed to the disease.
Based on the Department of Health (DOH) Covid-19 tracker, Manila has 1,660 new Covid-19 cases in the last 14 days to March 7, the fourth highest among cities and provinces.
Quezon City, which is the most populous city with over 3.0 million people, has the highest number of new infections for the period, overtaking Cebu City that had been at the top of the list since January.
The DOH tracker showed that Quezon City has 2,033 cases in the last 14 days to March 7, exceeding Cebu City's 2,011 cases. Pasay City has third highest number of new cases at 1,805 while Cebu Province has 1,125 cases for the period. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo / VoxPop Philippines with PR)