MANKAYAN, Benguet – The municipal government recently issued an advisory allowing resident from the town’s 12 barangays to utilize open spaces for exercises and sun bathing to help in combatting the negative effects of staying at home during the extended Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine.
However, Mayor Frenzel A. Ayong pointed out that the usual health protocols, such as social distancing and mandatory wearing of face masks, shall be observed by the residents wanting to hold their regular exercise routines and for sun bathing purposes.
He claimed that prior to the implementation of the ECQ, there were 2 recorded suicide incidents that already transpired in some of the barangays aside from the reported 7 to 9 suicides among residents.
Mayor Ayong stated that during this period of the extended ECQ, there were several suicide attempts among some residents in several barangays that prompted the municipal government to look into available measures could be implemented to allow the residents to temporarily go out of their houses and hold regular exercises or sun bathing activities to ease the burden of being stressed up staying home, especially that the ECQ has been extended up to May 15, 2020.
“ We simply want our constituents to have a reasonable break by doing their regular daily exercises in open public places but strictly observing the established health protocols to ensure their safety and comfort and after doing so, they should immediately go back to their houses and observe the prescribed quarantine,” Mayor Ayong stressed.
The municipal mayor cited that the decision to allow residents to use open public places exclusively for exercises and sun bathing activities was reached to allow them to breathe fresh air as it was proven that exposing oneself to the sunlight will help in killing the virus outside the bodies of people.
According to him, part of the positive benefits of having regular exercises is strengthened immune system and the practice of healthy lifestyle pursuant to the advocacies of the health department without compromising the established health and safety protocols to prevent the rapid spread of the deadly virus in the communities.
Ayong said that barangay officials should look into the available open public places in their respective areas of jurisdiction where exercises and sun bathing activities will be allowed and for them to closely monitor the compliance of the residents to the health and safety protocols so that the same will not be made an issue that will affect the good image of the municipality.
He noted the municipality has no longer persons under investigation (PUIs) over the past several days but the number of persons under monitoring (PUMs) continuously increases because of the frequent travels of farmers delivering their harvested produce outside the municipality, thus, health workers are doing their best to closely monitor the health status of the PUMs once they come back from their trips.
Ayong appealed to the residents to continue be patient in awaiting the outcome of the extended ECQ and the possible transition to the state of general community quarantine and for them to be ready to embrace the new normal way of living.
By Hent