BALANGA CITY — Bataan has only five active confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases as of today, the start of the implementation of General Community Quarantine (GCQ) in the province.
In a statement, Governor Albert Raymond Garcia said number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the province remains at 151, including 137 recoveries and 9 fatalities.
“There are still 195 pending cases, while a total of 2,286 yielded negative results. Since January 31 up to present, we tested 2,632 individuals in the province,” Garcia stated.
According to the online COVID-19 Bataan Dashboard of the Provincial Health office, Balanga City has two active confirmed COVID-19 cases, while Abucay, Limay, and Orion has only one each.
Still, Garcia urged residents not to go outside even though Bataan is under GCQ as he stressed that the province is still under quarantine and the threat of COVID-19 is present.
“I want to remind everyone that further vigilance is still needed because the virus may just be around the corner, and we do not know if those who we came into contact with are infected since some are asymptomatic,” he stressed.
The governor added that checkpoints manned by the Philippine National Police will remain to monitor and limit the entry of people and vehicles in the province during the entire GCQ period.
He said employees going to work under allowed industries may present their company ID and employment certificate, however, they should also secure a travel pass or travel authority if there is any being required by the local government unit in their destination.
Tricycle operation is now allowed within the jurisdiction of the province but only one passenger will be permitted per tricycle during each trip, while backriding for motorcycles is still strictly prohibited.
For public transportation of buses and jeepneys, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board already issued opened routes for travel, but the public utility vehicles should operate in limited capacity and should observe safety standards for passengers.
“Again, I am asking for the cooperation of everyone to stay at home and to continue observing minimum health standards to prevent additional cases of COVID-19 recorded in our province,” Garcia reminded his constituents.