Philippine News Agency
160 SAF personnel to help impose lockdown in Cebu City
At least 160 uniformed personnel of the Philippine National Police's elite Special Action Force (SAF) have been deployed to Cebu City to enforce stringent protocols for what is essentially a total lockdown.
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu stated that the SAF deployment is necessary to augment local police manpower for stricter ECQ enforcement.
The SAF personnel will help implement strict city-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) down to the barangays.
The deployment aims to prevent non-essential movement of residents and ensure face mask usage, with SAF personnel assisting local police.
The national coronavirus task force deployed more soldiers and police, including elite Special Action Force (SAF) troopers, to implement the lockdown in virus-hit Cebu City.
Cebu City has recorded 4,539 COVID-19 cases, and President Rodrigo Duterte tasked Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu to oversee the situation.
Philippine Coast Guard also committed to send at least 200 personnel to augment the existing forces in the city.
Cimatu directed the regional director of the Department of Health (DOH) and the head of the Cebu City Health Department to harmonize their daily figures of patients infected with the Covid-19.
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Police Lt. Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar stated that the deployment of the Special Action Force (SAF) and soldiers has been effective in enforcing quarantine rules, noting a significant decrease in quarantine violators in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon.
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Fifty-four police mobile force personnel from Eastern Visayas were dispatched to augment the Police Regional Office 7 in Cebu City to support the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine.
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Interior Secretary Eduardo Año announced that more police and soldiers will be deployed in Cebu City as the area is placed under stricter quarantine measures due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.
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President Rodrigo Duterte has extended the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Cebu City until July 15, designating it as a COVID-19 hotspot with a high positivity rate of 30% and a death rate equal to the national average.
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Cebu City is under an extreme lockdown with suspended quarantine passes as of Tuesday night due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.
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