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CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 37-year-old resident of Barangay Tangke in Talisay City has become a cause of concern for its city government after she proved positive of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas said in his Facebook post that the patient lived in Sitio Magay, Barangay Tangke, a densely populated area where houses are built very close to each other.
The patient was swabbed from the Talisay District Hospital because she was having colds.
“This is a very difficult situation and I am very concerned regarding this development. We are even having difficulty regarding what area to close down kay daghan kaau lutsanan ang (because there are many entrances and exits to) Magay,” said the mayor.
The patient was immediately pulled out and brought to an isolation facility. Her family will also be transferred to another isolation facility pending swab testing.
Gullas said the that if the family tests positive, he will order a bigger portion of the barangay under lockdown just to ensure that the spread of the virus will be contained.
“We will lockdown a bigger area and even maybe the whole barangay if test results will show ni spread na gyud ni sa Barangay Tangke,” said the mayor.
This incident prompted Gullas to appeal to the Interagency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to maintain the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the city.
Talisay is supposed to shift to general community quarantine (GCQ) following the recommendations of the agency, but the mayor does not want to risk his constituents.
“I have sent a letter to the Regional IATF asking for an appeal that the City of Talisay remain under an ECQ until the end of the month. We should know the extent of the virus in Brgy Tangke. We will swab continuously all contacts within the barangay. This will take time and effort, but dili nato byaan ang Barangay Tangke,” he said.
Aside from the case in Tangke, Talisay also recorded another case. The patient is a health worker of the Visayas Community Medical Center (VCMC).
The patient is from Barangay San Isidro but is currently isolated and living in another town. Gullas has already coordinated with the town for the isolation of the health worker.
The family still living in San Isidro will undergo swab testing. /bmjo