Children often the waters off Barangay Suba in Cebu City to keep cool in the summer heat. But the area is no longer safe for them with the recent discovery of a COVID-19 case near its port area. | CDN File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines –Seven more individuals from Cebu City have been infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 bringing to a total of 173 the COVID-19 cases in the city, according to the latest data from the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7).
The new cases were reported in Barangay Suba -1, Sitio San Antonio in Calamba – 2, Katipunan Street in Labangon -1 , Barangay Hipodromo 1, and the Cebu City Jail in Barangay Kalunasan – 2.
The discovery of a COVID-19 case in Barangay Suba particularly the fish port area has caused alarm to the Cebu City Market Authority because of its proximity to the Pasil Fish Market that draws a large crowd of vendors and buyers coming from the different parts of the city and Cebu province.
Market Administrator Jonil Matuguina said they were called to a meeting at the Office of the City Administrator at the City Hall this afternoon, April 21, 2020, to discuss measures that will ensure the security of fish port occupants as well as those who often the nearby fish market in Barangay Pasil.
The outcome of the meeting remains unknown as of this writing.
In a statement released this afternoon, the City Health Department said they are also conducting contact tracing in Barangay Suba. But they refused to give information on the COVID-19 patient because of the ongoing contract tracing.
DOH reported a total of 12 new COVID-19 cases in Cebu today. The patients were traced to have come from Cebu City – 7, Mandaue City -3 and Lapu-Lapu City – 2.
Read: 3 new COVID-19 cases reported in Mandaue City
Labella said during his press conference this afternoon that all of the seven patients coming from his city were asymptomatic and were already admitted to the hospital.
With the new data from DOH-7, the number of COVID-19 cases in Barangay Labangon now totals to five while Hipodromo now has two confirmed cases. Barangay Calamba, on the other hand, now has a total of three COVID-19 cases.
COVID-19 cases at the city jail now totals to five.
Meanwhile, no new COVID-19 cases were reported in Sitio Zapatera in Barangay Luz today. / dcb