Cebu Covid-19 updates as of mid-September 2020

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.