Lapu mayor uses funeral sets to remind public of the dangers of COVID-19

Lapu-Lapu City mayor Junard Chan and Police Col. Clarito Baja watch over a coffin symbolizing COVID-19 casualties. The city government paraded a funeral car with a coffin bearing the message “stay at home aron dili ka masulod sa lungon” and “namatay sa COVID kay wala mag facemask” on Tuesday, July 7, 2020,  in an attempt to discourage the public from going out and to promote the practice of health protocols such as mask-wearing as a means to prevent contracting COVID-19. Contributed photo | Norman Mendoza

CEBU CITY, Philippines — “Stay at home aron dili ka masulod sa lungon.”  (Stay at home so you don’t end up inside the coffin)

These were the words printed on a black streamer that was carried by a funeral car while it paraded the streets of Lapu-Lapu City on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, in an attempt to remind the public to stop going out as the city’s cases of coronavirus disease continues to increase.

As of Tuesday, the City Health Office has recorded 856 cases of COVID-19, of which 505 remain active, 313 have recovered while 38 have passed away.

In the quarantine control checkpoints in the city, coffins were set up under tents bearing the text “Namatay sa COVID kay wala mag-facemask (died from COVID because of not wearing facemask).”

City Mayor Junard Chan, who has just recovered from the infection himself, said this is the city’s way of telling its citizens to stay home and follow health protocols to prevent contracting the disease.

“Ato ning gihimo nga atong giparada ang lungon, sa inyong makita, tungod kay ang atong kontra makamatay. Pahimangno nato sa atong mga kaigsuonan nga kitang tanan, magpakabana niining problemaha,” Chan said during the parade of the funeral car which was broadcasted live on his Facebook page.

(We paraded the coffin, as you have seen, because our enemy is deadly. We encourage everyone to show concern over this problem.)

The funeral car that went around the streets of Lapu-Lapu City to remind the public to stay home and follow health protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic. | Contributed photo

Chan also led the distribution of leaflets bearing the global, nationwide, and the city’s COVID-19 statistics supposedly to tell the public how grave the problem is.

“Kinahanglan nga ato gyud ipaabot sa kasuokan nga masayod sila kon kinsa si COVID, kisa si coronavirus. Si coronavirus, makatakud ug makamatay,” the mayor said.

(We need to relay the message to the most interior areas so they know what COVID is. COVID is contagious and deadly.)

Despite that the problem on COVID-19 has been around during the first half of the year, Chan noted that there are still people who do not take the health emergency seriously.

“Mao na nga duna tay lungon matag checkpoint ug duna pod tay porlon sa matag suok para pagpahibawo nila nga mao na ang coronavirus. Dili tangke de gira ang atong gipadagan sa atong syudad kon dili mga porlon,” he added.

(That is why we put up coffins in every checkpoint and funeral cars in every corner to let them know that is  coronavirus. We are not deploying war tanks here in our city, instead we are deploying funeral cars.)

The mayor called for cooperation from his constituents anew as he said that the hospitals are already overwhelmed and can no longer take in more patients if the health problem persists.

“Dili ta magdinaugon kon di ta magtinabangay. Puno na ang atong hospital, wala nay kasudlan. mao na nga nangita tag paagi nga dili na mokatap ang virus sa syudad sa Lapu-lapu,” Chan said.

(We will not win against this if we will not work together. Our hospital is full, there’s no more room, that is why we are looking for ways to stop the spread of this virus in Lapu-Lapu City.) /bmjo