Dumaguete City under state of calamity

Remollo said there is no need to order community quarantine for now

Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo . | Photo by Florence Baesa

DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental- Recognizing the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), city officials here have placed Dumaguete City under a state of calamity.

However, Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo said that he does not see the need to also order the implementation of a community quarantine because under “the circumstances prevailing, thank God, we are far from what’s happening in Luzon and other parts of the country.”

“But we are getting ready and we are praying also that we will not reach that level that we have to declare a community quarantine. Mao na nga before that happens we are already preparing all measures,” said Remollo, who is also the chairperson of the Inter-Agency Task Force COVID-19.

Vice Mayor Alan Gel Cordova | Photo by Florence Baesa

Members of the Dumaguete City Council approved the state of calamity declaration during their special session that was held earlier today.  Its passage came a day after the Negros Oriental provincial government also placed the entire province under a state of calamity.

Read: NegOr placed under state of calamity

Vice Mayor Alan Gel Cordova,  the city council’s presiding officer, said that the declaration of a state of calamity was a “reinforcement and an acknowledgment that the city recognizes the threat of the coronavirus disease.”

“Right now we have 7 PUI’s, persons under investigation and we have 102 PUM’s persons under  monitoring . And we understand ang mga PUI’s diri sa province especially those considered critical ari man pud dad-on sa city considering that we all have the hospitals here equipped to treat their medical condition,” Cordova said.

(Right now we (Negros Oriental) have 7 PUIs and 102 PUMs.  And we understand that they are all brought to hospitals in Dumaguete City because we have better-equipped hospitals here to treat their medical condition.)

Placing the city under a state of calamity also allows the city government to order the closure of their borders, seaports and airports, Remollo said.

Remollo has also ordered the creation of a 24-hour task force command center at the office of the mayor.  The task force will include the City Health and Public Information Officers.  Others who are part of the task force are those coming from the City Disaster Risk Reduction Office (CDRRMO) and City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).

In addition to the state of calamity declaration, Remolo also issued Executive Order No. 11 which directs all restaurants, KTV bars, stores, and similar establishments to implement social distancing within their premise and to continue to implement sanitation or disinfection.

Executive Order No. 12 also directs all public transport operators to ensure the cleanliness of their units and their respective establishments.

Remollo said that while their city remains safe from COVID-19, residents should not take the threat of the disease lightly. / dcb