Two LSIs are Siquijor’s first cases

The case map of DOH-7 on COVID-19 cases in Siquijor province as of August 1.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Siquijor province has logged its first two cases of COVID-19 on August 1, 2020, after seven months of maintaining to be the only COVID-19-free province in Central Visayas.

The new cases are locally stranded individuals (LSIs) who recently arrived in the island province from Manila.

Siquijor Governor Zaldy Villa, however, clarified that there is no local transmission of the virus in their province.

“Among gikasubo sa tanan nga naay nakasulod nga COVID-19 positive sa atong isla, kini bisan pa tuod sa atong pagpaningkamot sa hugot nga pagpatuman sa health protocols. Ang isa taga lungsod sa Lazi ug ang isa, taga lungsod sa Larena nga gikan sa Manila. Atong klaruhon nga wala tay local transmission diri sa probinsya,” Villa said.

(We are saddened that COVID-19 positive individuals have entered our island despite our efforts to enforce health protocols. One is from Lazi town while the other is from Larena who recently arrived from Manila. We’d like to clarify that there is no local transmission here in our province.)

The official statement of Siquijor Governor Zaldy Villa on the first COVID-19 cases in the island province.

Villa said the province’s frontline workers are implementing measures to contain the infection.

Although Siquijor has acknowledged its two confirmed cases, the Department of Health in Central Visayas’ (DOH-7) data as of August 1 reflects only one confirmed case and tagged the patient as “admitted.”

The patient logged in DOH-7’s COVID-19 tracker is the patient from Lazi. / dcb