LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu, Philippines — Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan has ordered a “lockdown” of the two residences of two coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the city.
Chan said that this was to ensure the safety of their neighbors, where the immediate family members of the COVID-19-positive cases were being isolated and quarantined.
“Within the five meter radius sa ilang balay dili na kagawas, naka-cordon na ang area. And naa nay police, naa nay nagbantay sa area,” Chan said.
(“They cordoned the area within a five meter radius of the houses. They could not leave their houses. And there are police there securing the area.)
He said that the two patients were now isolated in a hospital in Mandaue City and Cebu City while the city’s COVID-19 management team were also conducting contact tracing.
He described the first COVID-19 patient as a 70-year-old married man, who have a pre-existing illness and whose son is a doctor.
Chan said the other COVID-19 patient was a 74-year-old married man, whose wife is a doctor.
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Last March 25, the mayor and the city’s COVID-19 management team visited the home of the first patient.
The mayor said that all those living in the compound were now being monitored.
“Kung naay magpositive, kinahanglan imo sa’ng i-secure and area. Kay ug imong i-announce ahead, naay tendency nga ang mga tawo manglayas. So kung molayas siya, mobalhin siya ug laing lugar, wa ka kahibawo ug kadto siya naigo nato siya makatakod na hinoon siya sa laing lugar,” he added.
(If there is a patient who would be tested positive, then it would be needed for the authorities to first secure the area. This is because if we announce the results first, then there would be a tendency for these individuals to move to another location. If they will leave the house and move to another location, we won’t know that the patient can infect another person on that area.)
He also said that two workers of the first patient had escaped and traveled somewhere, when they knew that their employer was a COVID-19 positive patient.
Chan, however, said that they already found these two workers and they were now being isolated./dbs