Mayors to discuss ways to protect Cebu Province amid rising COVID-19 cases in Cebu City

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Local chief executives of towns and cities in Cebu Province will again converge in an emergency meeting at the Capitol on Friday, April 17, 2020, to discuss ways to protect the province amid the rising number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Cebu City.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said several mayors have expressed their worries over the continued egress of persons from Cebu City to the towns and cities of the province following the spike of cases here.

As of April 15, Cebu City already has 53 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 22 of which were new reported in just one day.

READ: Infants among new COVID-19 cases in Cebu City

“Daghan ang nitawag kanako, nagpaabot sa ilang kabalaka tungod sa padayon nga movement in and out of Cebu City pasidulong ngadto sa mga kalungsoran ug dakbayan nga nahilakip sa probinsya sa Sugbo,” Garcia said.

(Several mayors have called me and expressed their worries over the continued movement in and out of Cebu City and into the towns and cities of the province.)

While the province has closed its borders from Cebu City since the start of the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) last March 30, some persons, particularly exempted workers who work in Cebu City, still enter the province.

Garcia said she would like to hear the insights of the mayors and their suggestions on how to protect Cebu province while the cases in Cebu City are still high.

Since April 1, the province has kept the number of COVID-19 cases at three with two recent recoveries and one death.

Garcia has also asked the mayors to conduct an inventory on on the number of persons who work in Cebu City and return to the towns and cities under the province.

The governor also asked for an inventory of the cargo trucks that depart and enter the province to and from Cebu City. /bmjo