Guadalupe leads top 10 barangays in active cases

CEBU, Philippines —  Guadalupe topped Cebu City’s 79 other barangays in terms of the number of active COVID-19 cases, data from Emergency Operations Center from Jan. 9 to 22 showed.

Guadalupe reported 50 new cases over the two-week period, followed by Basak San Nicolas and Lahug, which each tallied 32 new cases.

Completing the top 10 were Mambaling with 27 cases, Talamban and Tisa with 26 cases each, Kasambagan with 25 cases, Kamputhaw with 24 cases, and Bacayan and Punta Princesa with 23 cases each.

“Some 58 (of 80) barangays in the city now have active cases. We’re averaging 39 cases a day,” said EOC deputy chief implementer and City Councilor Joel Garganera.

“Our positivity rate for today (yesterday) is 4.6%. We tested 1,116 and 52 (turned out) positive. We’re within the WHO (World Health Organization) threshold,” he added.

Measures

Garganera, in a virtual presser yesterday, called on other barangays to replicate Guadalupe’s efforts in curbing the new cases.

He said Guadalupe is not imposing granular lockdowns since authorized persons outside residences (APORs) are still allowed to move around for work and people can still go out to buy essential goods.

But Guadalupe barangay captain Michael Gacasan considers this as “lockdown,” nonetheless, considering that there is a “stay at home” policy being implemented. Gacasan had earlier warned he would put the barangay on lockdown if cases would go beyond 40.

The barangay chief has already talked with church leaders to refrain from conducting physical masses and go virtual instead.

All establishments are also ordered to close on Sundays for disinfection, except pharmacies.

Moreover, non-residents of Guadalupe are not allowed to enter the barangay over the next 14 days, except for work.

Garganera said the EOC can only do so much that everyone’s cooperation is needed, especially that the virus is still around. He is hopeful other barangays will follow the efforts of Guadalupe.

Cebu City Police Office Director Col. Josefino Ligan is expected to meet with different station heads to discuss security plans in the barangays under their jurisdictions.

EOC is preparing Labangon gym to house more quarantine violators. Aside from Labangon, Tejero is also being identified as a temporary holding area for violators.

Cebu City has 749 active cases based on the Department of Health-7’s case bulletin on Jan. 22. EOC monitoring, however, showed there are 737 active cases.

Santander

Meanwhile, after almost a month of having no COVID-19 case, Santander town in southern Cebu has logged one new case, prompting it to require a swab test result for locally stranded individuals (LSIs) coming from other provinces starting tomorrow, January 25.

LSIs cannot secure barangay and LGU acceptance letters if their request is not supported by a negative swab test result. They will be allowed to undergo a 14-day home quarantine upon arrival, provided they are the only one staying in the house.

If caught wandering around or joining social gatherings, the individual will be brought to the town’s designated quarantine facility.

APORs, on the other hand, will be allowed to return home, provided they will stay at home until they go back to work. APORs who will permanently stay shall undergo the same protocol as LSIs.

However, fiesta celebrations are still allowed in the town, including masses and mobile procession, provided health protocols are observed such as 50 percent crowd capacity and wearing of facemasks and face shields.

Birthdays, weddings, and christenings are limited to 20-25 persons only.

Samboan

Samboan town, for its part, has temporarily suspended granting acceptance letters to all LSIs from other provinces from January 20 until the end of the month.

“Only Samboanons within Cebu Province can come home provided that LGU Acceptance shall have been previously acquired through our LDRRM office, except tourists allowed by the province with confirmed booking at a DOT-accredited accommodation/resort in Samboan having complied MGCQ protocol or certificate of compliance,” read the municipality’s statement.

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), emergencies, court appearance and flight abroad are exempted from the suspension.

However, Samboanons with specific purposes are allowed to travel outside the town and could come back the same day, provided they secure a travel pass and medical certificate signed by the town’s mayor. — Caecent No-ot Magsumbol and Mae Fhel K. Gom-os, JMD (FREEMAN)