CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu province is eyeing to start its targeted massive testing for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by next week, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia announced on Wednesday, April 22, 2020.
Garcia said she is eyeing to already finalize the purchase of 50,000 rapid test kits on Thursday, April 23. The test kits will be used for massive testing.
A second supplier of rapid test kits which already has approval from the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has offered to supply the province with the kits for P600 each or P300 lower than the price pegged by the first supplier who expressed intent to supply the kits to the province.
If the kits will be purchased within the week, Garcia said the testing will “optimistically” start next week.
Garcia said the province is working with experts from the University of the Philippines (UP) to determine the target test subjects in each of the 44 towns and seven component cities of the province.
The massive testing is part of the initial measures that the provincial government is taking in preparation for a modified enhanced community quarantine in Cebu.
As of April 22, Cebu province still has three cases of COVID-19 with two recoveries and one mortality.
But Garcia assured that the province will not “hastily” lift or modify the ECQ considering the rise of COVID-19 cases in Cebu City. This Wednesday, the city has logged a whopping 139 new COVID-19 cases.
“Above all, bottomline, kinahanglan ang kasiguroan gyud ninyo ang atong tagaan og prayoridad. Maghuwat gyud ta sa opinyon sa mga experts ug kanang ilang opinion matagaan usab og guidance pinaagi sa atong pagkuha og data,” Garcia said.
The governor added that they are already studying protocols that may be adopted once the province enters into a modified ECQ.
Garcia earlier said the government may not be able to sustain the needs of all constituents if the economy will continue to fall with several establishments closing due to the ECQ and employees losing their jobs.
“Karon pa lang, gitun-an na na nato ang matag sector sa mga establisyimyento nga wala pa maka-operate lakip na sa mga businesses ug establishments nga nag-operate apan dili sa full capacity,” Garcia said.
“Nagplano na ta og usnaon nato pagpabangon og balik sa ekonomiya ug unsaon nato pagbalik ang inyong mga panginabuhi,” she added. /rcg