Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas. | File Photo
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – Talisay City will not shift to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) just yet.
Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas announced in a Facebook post Tuesday night, May 19, 2020, that the Interagency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has granted his request for the city to remain under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) until May 31.
“Just got advance information that the IATF has decided to grant our appeal na dili sata mag (not to migrate yet to) GCQ. We will be in a MECQ due to the rising cases in the city. (The IATF) resolution will come out tomorrow,” Gullas said on FB.
While under MECQ, Gullas said that some businesses in their city will already be allowed to resume operations “to balance the economic needs of everyone.”
‘Please wear a mask at ALL TIMES. I cannot stress the importance of this.’
Still, he asked Talisay City residents to continue to observe government regulations that include the near to wear face masks, bring quarantine passes when leaving their respective homes, and the need to maintain social distancing as a precaution against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“Please wear a mask at ALL TIMES. I cannot stress the importance of this,” he said.
While under MECQ, Gullas said that they will also continue to observe their market schedules, border control measures, curfew, and the stay at home policy especially on Sundays.
Gullas said that their fight against the infection if not yet over.
Earlier Tuesday, Gullas announced that they logged two more new COVID-19 cases, bringing to a total number of cases in his city to 16 with six deaths.
“All swabs came from Talisay District Hospital. Both have already passed away. Meaning, their results came after they have passed away. God bless their souls. 😞,” he said.
Not COVID-related deaths
COVID-19 patient no. (PT) 15 was a 62-year-old male resident of Holy Child in Barangay Tabunok, who was brought to the Talisay City District Hospital on May 13.
However, Gullas said that the cause for his death was not COVID-related. The patient was brought to the hospital after he suffered a heart attack.
“He was still swabbed by the District Hospital on May 13 and today ni gawas ang iyang resulta na (test results were released that he was) positive (of the infection). That’s why this will still be included in our positive count sa city,” he said.
PT16, on the other hand, is a 94-year-old male form Atisan in Barangay Cansojong. He was admitted at the district hospital on May 12 and was swabbed on the same day.
“Iyang complaints gyud ato panahona (his earlier complaint) was related to his prostate. He passed away on May 13, 2020,” Gullas said.
PT16’s death was not also COVID-related according to his death certificate.
“For both cases our city health team, disaster team and the PNP have contacted members of the family and they will be transferred to a facility for isolation,” he said.
Gullas said that he is also working with the City Health Department to gather more data on the two recent deaths that were not COVID-related.
“I am also gathering all the data regarding all our 6 deaths sa city kay I am alarmed that these two deaths were not Covid related according to the death certificates yet they tested positive of the coronavirus,” he said.
“If my memory serves me right, all patients who have passed away had comorbidities and had medical conditions. Meaning ang patient nanay gibati daan, ni adto sa hospital (were already suffering from a particular illness, the reason why they were brought to the hospital), was tested, ni gawas positive and unfortunately passed away,” he added. /bmjo