Davao City suspends issuance of quarantine passes

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte suspended the issuance of quarantine passes in the city’s 182 barangays, saying it created chaos and confusion instead of putting things in order.

Quarantine passes were introduced by barangay officials to restrict the movements of residents and stem the spread of the novel coronavirus disease.

The city confirmed 4 cases of coronavirus as of Thursday morning, March 26. Patients under investigation (PUIs) for the disease was down to 69 cases after test results showed negative results for 25 former PUIs. 

“Quarantine passes are indeed ideal in controlling the movement of people inside the barangays, however, barangays imposed different guidelines and different kinds of passes, which confused Dabawenyos,” Duterte said. 

She said the city government will have to come up first with a unified order regarding issuances of quarantine passes. 

Duterte said the new quarantine passes, following new rules still to be drafted, will only be issued if the situation in the city gets worse and the city will need to step up measures from the current “community quarantine” to “enhanced community quarantine.”

Warning to businesses

Duterte also urged government offices and private establishments to cooperate in the fight against coronavirus after she said some of them “tried to defy the very same controls that we have made to protect the city and the entire Davao Region.”

“Everyone is a possible virus carrier. We need almost all individuals to stop moving and we simply cannot do this if we are asked to defy rules. Please allow me to do what our doctors and even the World Health Organization recommended for the country to do,” she said.

Sara also reminded private hospitals not to admit PUIs. She said only identified government facilities such as the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) will be taking PUIs.

“Do not provide special treatment for a few individuals against the safety of the entire staff and personnel of your hospital,” she said. “We have labored on the protocols with the DOH. If our own hospitals do not follow protocols, we should not have any at all.”

“I call on everyone. Let us not make the efforts of many people futile just to accommodate the few,” she said. – Rappler.com