CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – “Fake news.”
That was how the Pampanga Provincial Police Officebranded reports that circulated on social media Monday that a total lockdown of Pampanga would be imposed April 15 onwards.
The rumor that the total lockdown would close all markets, groceries, supermarkets, drugstores, banksand other essential establishments sparked panic buying, the police recording heavy volume of vehicles and people flocking to the streets to buy essential goods or go to banks and remittance centers.
“The large volume of people out on the streets defeats the social/physical distancing we are implementing to avoid the spread of the virus,” said Col. Jean Fajardo, Pampanga police director.
“For the record, there is no truth to that because if you remember, last March 27, we already implemented a lockdown in Pampanga in response to various violations committed during the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine in the province,” Fajardo said.
“However, we clearly reiterated then that while we will implement stricter border control in the province, markets, groceries, drugstores, banks, and other essential services shall remain open to cater to the day–to–day needs of the public,” she added.
Fajardo went on air over Facebook Live at around 12 noon on Tuesday to allay the fears of Kapampangans.
Fajardo assured Kapampangans that essential services shall remain open while at the same time made an appeal not to believe everything they see and read in social media.
