Cebu is one of the areas in the country with the highest cases of Covid-19. It has gone on a lot of government-mandated adjustments in their effort to ‘flatten the curve’. Here are the latest updates in Cebu province and Cebu City.
Cebu Province
Pandemic status in the
province is becoming alarming
The rising number of Covid-19 cases in multiple areas in
Cebu province has become a “cause of concern”. This was reported by the
Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) and concurred by Melquiades
Feliciano, deputy chief implementer of the COVID-19 response for the Visayas.
There are 351 active cases in Cebu Province as of September 6, and one factor to this number is the lack of aggressive testing which was done in Mandaue, Lapu-lapu, and Cebu cities since May. The concentration of the virus in the province will be difficult to detect, so the public is advised to follow health protocols at all times and subject themselves to swab testing.
Cebu City
Twelve new cases in a
Cebu City bank
Twelve bank employees have tested positive of
the coronavirus adding to the current record of 39 new cases in Cebu City
recorded on September 9.
The head of the EOC Councilor Joel Garganera
said these employees have been put in isolation and contact tracing is
underway. Workers from another branch of the same bank are also being tested.
The bank is temporarily closed down as per
protocol.
Cemeteries in Cebu
City to be closed during ‘Undas’
Last Thursday, Mayor Edgardo Labella signed Executive Order
092 which mandated the closure of establishments that are normally crowded
during All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day like columbaries, public and private
cemeteries, and memorial parks. This is to prevent mass gatherings which is part
of the Omnibus Guidelines on Community Quarantine as per the Inter-Agency Task
Force (IATF).
The public is encouraged to visit their deceased loved ones before
October 30 or after November 3.
New cases expected
during MGCQ
The announcement of the city’s downgrading of the quarantine status to modified general community quarantine was met with expectations on a possible rise of cases. True enough, 39 new cases (among them are 12 bank employees, 7 locally stranded individuals (LSIs) from Manila, and 10 from Barangay Apas) are recorded on September 9.
This is due to a higher volume of people going out for work,
shopping, and leisure. The public is warned to not be complacent when outdoors
and to still implement minimum health standards. Wearing of face masks and shields and using
disinfectants at all times greatly help in the prevention of the spread considering
one positive case could lead to 10 or 20 more.
The EOC is pulling rank to maintain order in the city using
surveillance teams and law enforcement personnel.