Police to assist local governments in granular lockdowns amid spike in COVID-19 cases
THE NATIONAL police has started preparing to help local officials implement granular lockdowns, a strategy that the national government is planning to use in place of more wide-scale quarantines that has taken a serious toll on the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“I have tasked police commanders to start coordinating with local government officials and initiate discussions regarding the possible implementation of granular lockdown starting next month,” national police chief Guillermo T. Eleazar said in a news release on Sunday.
In granular lockdowns, restrictions will be imposed on a smaller community level such as residential subdivisions, streets, or a cluster of houses where there are a high number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.
Several local governments across the country have already been implementing this, with barangay and other local officers put in charge of monitoring the restricted area.
Mr. Eleazar said while the nationwide adoption of the policy has yet to be approved, police officers must start coordination work to avoid confusion during enforcement.
The Department of Interior and Local Government announced on Thursday that the national government is considering replacing region or province-wide quarantine classifications with granular lockdowns. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago
