Inawayan locks down sitio, closes market for disinfection

CEBU CITY, Philippines — With Barangay Inayawan recording its first case of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, village officials found the need to take extra precautionary measures to contain the spread of the virus.

Inayawan Barangay Captain Kirk Bryan Repollo told CDN Digital that they have decided to lock down the sitio (sub-village) where the symptomatic case of coronavirus disease was reported.

He did not reveal the name of the sitio since the sub-village was not confirmed by the City Health Department or the Department of Health.

Inayawan is the 8th largest barangay in Cebu City that borders the south from Talisay City.

“Sa pagkakaron, ato nang gi lockdown ang sitio kung asa gapuyo ang giingon pasyente. Ato nang gipabantayan ang entrance ug exit sa maong Sitio. (As of now we have locked down the sitio where the patient lived. We also ordered security on the entrances and exits),” said the village chief.

Repollo said the residents of the sitio have been cooperative so far with most of them volunteering to guard the sitio from outsiders and ensuring the residents stay inside their homes.

Disenfection

Since the possibility that the patient may have frequented the nearby Inayawan Public Market as well, Repollo ordered its temporary closure for thorough disinfection.

He said they are studying now the system they will adapt to ensure safety in the market. This system has to be in place before they reopen the market.

For the meantime, the vendors are staying at the barangay gym so they can continue selling goods to residents.

“We will assess when we can open the market again,” he said. /bmjo