Palawan recorded nine new COVID-19 cases this week (February 14 to 21), seven of which were local transmission cases from Puerto Princesa, all stemming from the deceased patient from Barangay San Jose.
Meanwhile, two patients were reported to have recovered this week, from the municipalities of Brooke’s Point and Culion.
Palawan has a total of 42 active cases as of Sunday, with 38 from Puerto Princesa and four from the municipalities.
Puerto Princesa recorded two new local transmission cases on Sunday (February 14), with one patient from Brgy. Bancao-bancao and one from Brgy. San Jose. Four more local transmission cases were recorded Tuesday and one more on Wednesday. All cases are still connected to the 82-year-old female from Brgy. San Jose who passed away on February 7.
The city government has also placed the Hall of Justice Compound in Brgy. Tiniguiban and the Palawan State University (PSU) main campus on lockdown after being designated as “Critical Zones.” This pronouncement was due to both offices having employees who tested positive for COVID-19 during the week and several others testing reactive to rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). Both offices will remain on lockdown until March 6 or until the city inter-agency task force (IATF) lifts the lockdown effective Monday, February 22.
Palawan governor Jose Ch. Alvarez also issued an executive order urging municipalities to impose strict travel restrictions and monitor their borders and transport terminals closely due to the rising cases of COVID-19 in Puerto Princesa City. Narra and Aborlan followed suit by issuing similarly crafted executive orders signed by their respective mayors stating that travelers from the city should undergo a 14-day quarantine.
For the municipalities, Roxas recorded one new imported case on Wednesday, while Coron recorded one imported case on Thursday. Brooke’s Point recorded one recovery on Wednesday, and Culion recorded one recovery on Friday.
Towns that remain without recorded COVID-19 cases are Linapacan and Kalayaan.
