At least 22 boatmen, operators contract COVID-19

CEBU, Philippines —  Twenty-two boatmen and island hopping operators in Lapu-Lapu City have tested positive for the coronavirus disease.

According to Grace Carungay, chief of the City Epidemiological and Surveillance Unit, 19 of these new cases came from Olango Island while the other three are from Barangay Maribago.

The new cases are now being isolated at the Sta. Rosa Community Hospital for those coming from Olango and Lapu-Lapu City College isolation facility for those coming from the mainland.

Carungay said that the city government ensured that the new cases be housed in a facility and not just opt for home isolation. She said these patients need to be housed in a facility even if they are asymptomatic.

The City Health Department has already set contact tracing initiative in Olango to identify those who may have interacted with the patients.

Vendor swabs

Meanwhile, with the majority of the cases in Cebu City these days having history traced to supermarkets and public markets, swab testing for Covid-19 to vendors starting with the Carbon Market is finally taking place next week.

“Wala kaayo’y home transmission. Outside transmissions, supermarket, markets gyud kasagaran, kanang naay trip sa supermarket, mga 60%,” said Emergency Operation Centers deputy chief implementer and City Councilor Joel Garganera yesterday.

Garganera said this is based on contact tracing activities.

He said it has been a long plan of the city government to do surveillance mainly in the Carbon market, but it was stalled due to some confusion on the kind of test to be done and who will be subjected to the test.

Finally, after all the consultation meetings with the EOC, it was agreed that all stall owners and vendors including the ambulant vendors be subjected to a swab test.

Should there be vendors who will test positive, the vendors’ association will act in the spirit of “bayanihan” wherein the goods that the positive vendor has will be sold by the other members so those affected will still have an income.

Carbon market is the first public market that will be subject to this surveillance as this is the biggest market in the entire Cebu. After Carbon, other public markets in the city will follow.

While vendors of public markets are going to have swab test, the management and security of all supermarkets are also reminded to strictly implement of the health protocols like proper wearing of face shields and masks and social distancing.

Garganera said based on their observation, the wearing of masks and face shields are only done for compliance sake and not being monitored properly.

Food stalls or cafeterias are also being monitored by the EOC right now as the city works to contain the spread of the virus here. — with Dicee May Padilla, Romeo D. Limapangog, JMD (FREEMAN)