Cebu City markets cleaned up, disinfected amid COVID-19 outbreak

CEBU, Philippines —  To ensure that Cebu City remains safe from the deadly corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a simultaneous cleanup and disinfection was conducted in 10 major public markets yesterday.

The markets include Ramos Public Market, T. Padilla Public Market, Pardo Public Market, Pasil Fish Market, Taboan Public Market, Freedom Park, Warwick Barracks, and Carbon Public Market’s Units 1, 2 and 3.

The city government made the move following the rapid rise of COVID-19 cases in the country.

The Philippines has so far reported 49 infections and two deaths. Most of these cases have been reported in Luzon, while one each in the Visayas (Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental) and in Mindanao (Cagayan de Oro City).

Health authorities announced on Wednesday the nation's second death, the first since a Chinese tourist died last month.

The World Health Organization has officially declared the virus that has infected more than 124,000 people and killed 4,500 a pandemic.

Mayor Edgardo Labella, along with the City Hall department heads, visited the Carbon Public Market and explained to the vendors the purpose of the clean-up drive.

Before the markets were disinfected, Labella said they were cleaned up.

“Dili man sa pagpanaway, sila didto sa Manila nideretso sila og disinfect pero wala nila limpyohi. Bisan pa og mag disinfect ta pero hugaw gihapon di gihapon na magsilbi. So kita karon una ta ni disinfect, ato una gilimpyohan ang atong tanan mga public markets,” he said.

[Not to criticize but in Manila, they disinfected the markets but did not clean them. No matter how we disinfect an area if it remains to be dirty, that will not do it. So for us, before we disinfect, we have to clean our public markets first.]

The mayor said regular cleanup and disinfection are required to avoid local transmission of the disease and possible lockdown.  KQD (FREEMAN)