“Stay at home” is maybe one of the most overused phrases since the pandemic began last year but these three words can save you from getting infected or worse, losing your lives from coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19.
While waiting for the approval of the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF) for the Iloilo City’s higher quarantine status, Mayor Jerry P. Treñas has again appealed to the Ilonggos to stay at home as the number of COVID-19 cases in the city continues to spike.
“For the next seven days I am requesting you to stay at home if possible. The cases in the city are increasing and now even our health frontliners are affected. Please stay at home. Just for next seven days, please. No need for any quarantine status, please,” said Treñas.
The city mayor also made the appeal after his friend, a young Ilonggo businessman in the city, died of COVID-19.
“COVID 19 is real. It can kill and it is very easy to transfer from one person to the other,” the city mayor stressed.
Treñas has earlier requested to escalate the city’s quarantine status from Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
He also appealed to everyone to follow the minimum health protocols.
“We cannot overemphasize this enough. The only way to curb the spread of transmission, and hopefully lessen the number of deaths, is when we abide by the regulations for our own safety,” he stressed.
Treñas explained that placing the city under a stricter quarantine classification is mainly to protect the people and save lives.
He emphasized that there is a need to slow down the infection, lower the infection rate and lessen the number of cases.
“This way, we can avoid expensive treatment and prevent our healthcare system from being overwhelmed. Ultimately, we help and protect our medical and non-medical frontliners who have been toiling through this pandemic for more than a year,” he added.
Citing everyday meetings with the city’s COVID team, Treñas noted that there is an upward trend of COVID-19 cases if the rate of transmission cannot be immediately controlled soon.
“COVID bed capacities of hospitals are already full, so much so that three city hall employees died at the emergency room just trying to look for a hospital that would accommodate them,” Treñas lamented.
“I know and understand that many are already tired of COVID. Some do not even believe it anymore. But the virus is real and still here, and we should not take it for granted. If we lower our guards, then we might find it so much difficult to control later on,” he further stressed. (Glenda Tayona)/WDJ