A municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines is set to prohibit spitting in public places to help contain and prevent the current outbreak of disease.
The local government of Los Baños intends to pass a “no spitting” ordinance, as part of the urgent measures taken to curb the pandemic, the Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported.
Los Baños Local Gov’t to Pass “No Spitting” Ordinance
Experts have said that the outbreak spreads though droplets (e.g. saliva) after a person coughs or sneezes. Soon after two additional cases were confirmed in Los Baños, Mayor Ceasar Perez requested the town council to urgently pass a “no spitting” ordinance.
“Hiniling po natin sa pamamagitan ni Vice Mayor Tony Kalaw kasama natin ang ilang mga konsehal na ipasa ang isang ordinansa na kung saan ay ipinagbabawal dumura saan mang pampublikong lugar (We asked through Vice Mayor Tony Kalaw together with some councilmen to pass an ordinance that prohibits spitting in public places),” Mayor Perez said during a public address on Sunday, 29th March 2020.
“Ang Sangguniang Bayan ay hiniling natin na mag-convene para isabatas ang nasabing pagbabawal ng pagdudura sa ating mga pampublikong lugar (We asked the municipal council to convene to pass the said prohibition of spitting in our public places),” he added.
Mayor Perez mentioned that the two latest patients in Los Baños are currently under home quarantine. “Pinadadalhan natin ng kanilang mga pangangailangan sa kanilang pang-araw-araw na buhay. Binibigyan din po natin ng pagkain (We send them their daily needs. We are also providing food),” he said.
Confirmed Cases in Laguna Province
As of 2:00 pm on Sunday, the Laguna Provincial Health Office (PHO) reported a total of 33 confirmed cases in the province.
According to the official Facebook page of Laguna Governor Ramil Hernandez, the cities of Santa Rosa and San Pedro each have eight cases, whereas Biñan and Calamba have reported four cases each. The city of Los Baños has three cases, and Cabuyao has two confirmed cases.
Meanwhile, San Pablo City has reported one case, along with the municipalities of Lumban, Nagcarlan, and Pila, each of which have one confirmed case.
The Governor’s post also mentioned that there are 717 patients under investigation (PUIs) in the province. Currently, there are also 5,644 persons under monitoring (PUMs). Notably, 7,677 PUMs have already been cleared.
For more information about the outbreak, you may contact the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) through their hotline: (02) 984 26843. For PLDT, Smart, Sun, and TNT subscribers, simply dial 1555. For Laguna residents, you can call the Provincial Health Office by dialing 0956 144 0211 or 0999 708 8721.
As the number of cases rise not only in Laguna province, but in other parts of the Philippines, let us continue to follow government directives: stay at home, go out only when necessary, practice good hygiene and social distancing. In addition, check out these six tips to actively prevent the spread of the outbreak in your community.