Kalinga Gov. Ferdinand Tubban signed Executive Order No. 2021-05 last February 5 extending the enhanced community quarantine in Tabuk City until February 15 as requested by the city’s Inter-Agency Task Force due to the continuous rise of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in the city.

In signing the order, Tubban said: “The City of Tabuk will strictly implement temporary measures limiting movement and transportation, regulation of operating industries and presence of uniformed personnel to impose community quarantine protocols per Omnibus Guidelines of the Inter-agency Task Force on Enhanced Community Quarantine,” the EO states.

He also said that he found “merit in the request of the City Local Government of Tabuk and considering the increasing number of local transmission of the virus,…”

The extension of the ECQ was a request made by doctors including city health officer Dr. Henrietta Bagayao to which the CIATF, composed of barangay chairs, supported and forwarded the same to the provincial and regional IATF.

“Haan kami makaanges payen [gapu] ti trabahu ngem anusan tayu, (We cannot breathe anymore due to the volume of work we have but then we have to bear with it),” she said. The EO also placed the municipalities of Tinglayan, Tanudan, Lubuagan, and Pinukpuk are still under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) from February 9 to February 15. The towns, meanwhile, of Rizal, Pasil, and Balbalan are under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) for the same period.

Tubban said that the different levels of community quarantine was based on the health risk level matrix and zoning containment strategies of each local government unit.