MANILA, Philippines – Quezon City recorded 3 more deaths due to the coronavirus disease on Wednesday, March 25, bringing the number of fatal COVID-19 cases in the country’s largest city to 13 – a third of the nationwide total.

The Quezon City government said in a bulletin  on Thursday, March 26, that there were 15 new coronavirus cases in the city, raising the total to 87. There were no new recoveries.

Quezon City has the highest number of coronavirus cases recorded in any local government unit as of Wednesday. It is the country’s largest and most populous city, with a population of almost 3 million.

Out of the city’s 142 barangays, 50 recorded coronavirus cases.

On Wednesday, the city government placed  Barangay Culiat under extreme enhanced community quarantine. A total of 13 barangays are under extreme enhanced community quarantine as of Wednesday:

• Tandang Sora
• Kalusugan
• Ramon Magsaysay
• Maharlika
• Tatalon 
• Batasan Hills
• Pasong Tamo
• Central
• San Roque
• Paligsahan
• Bagong Lipunan ng Crame
• South Triangle
• Culiat

A barangay is placed under extreme enhanced community quarantine if it has two or more confirmed cases in different streets or at least one case in an urban poor area where the risk of transmission is more likely. 

Under this form of quarantine, household members of coronavirus patients are not allowed to leave their residences, and people within a 500-meter radius from these houses are under strict surveillance and monitoring.

To aid its constituents affected by the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine, the city government distributed an additional 111,000 food on Wednesday, bringing the total number of food packs released to 490,000.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte earlier said that the city government will give 400,000 displaced families two weeks’ worth of food, but this number has been increased to 500,000 families. The city government set aside a budget of at least P1 billion for food assistance during the 4-week quarantine period.

Belmonte earlier declared a state of calamity in Quezon City, enabling barangay officials to access their Quick Response Fund.

Nationwide, health officials recorded 636  COVID-19 cases with 38 deaths and 26 recoveries as of Wednesday.

The global tally is 416,686 cases with 18,589 deaths. The new virus has affected 196 countries. – Rappler.com