Chan: COVID-free day on Dec. 24, a great Christmas gift for Oponganons

Neighboring Mandaue City also recorded no COVID-19 cases on Christmas eve

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan says that the city has not recorded any COVID-19 cases for December 24. | Photo grabbed from Mayor Chan’s Christmas message video

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — Oponganons have received a great gift a day before Christmas — having no recorded COVID-19 cases for Thursday, December 24.

That is how Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan described the city’s Christmas gift from God in his Facebook post on Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24 or particulary an hour before Christmas Day.

“Usa pa ka oras sa dili pa motungtong ang pinakagipaabot sa tanan, ang dungan nga selebrasyon sa kapaskohan. Pero nag-una2 na kita og abli sa atong regalo nga gikan sa labawng makagagahum kay sa resulta nga atong nadawat pagahapon og karong adlawa, ZERO CASES gihapon kita sa COVID-19. Ika-19 na kini ka higayon nga wala kitay kaso,” Chan said in his post.

(One hour before the time that everybody has been waiting for, the celebration of Christmas. But we are opening ahead our Christmas gift from God because the result that we received in the afternoon of this day (December 24), it is still Zero Cases of COVID-19 in the city. This is the 19th time that we don’t have any cases of the virus.)

Chan said in its post that the data had come from the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7).

Read: 16 barangays in Lapu-Lapu are COVID-free

He said in Cebuano that this was a great and happy celebration that the city was having because there were no COVID-19 cases for the day.

He said that the zero COVID-19 cases for the day was a great gift from God for Christmas not only to the Oponganons but especially to the city’s medical frontliners and emergency responders.

“Dili lang kini regalo alang sa mga Oponganon pero regalo pod ni sa atong mga medical frontliners and emergency responders nga maka-celebrate silag pasko kauban ang ilang mga pamilya kay wala gihapon kitay mga pasyente sa COVID nga atong giatiman sa atong mga hospital,” he said.

(This is not just a great gift for the Oponganons but also a gift to the medical frontliners and emergency responders that they can celebrate Christmas Day with their families because there are still no COVID patients that they had to take care of in the hospitals.)

Despite this, Chan again called on the Oponganons to be always vigilant.

“Panawagan sa tanang Oponganon nga dili gihapon kita mokompyansa. Ato gihapon nga likayan ang mga dagkong panagtapok ug sa walay pagkapoy nga balik-balikon nako nga kinahanglan magsul-ob og facemask sa kanunay ug ipatuman ang social distancing,” Chan said.

(My appeal to Oponganons is for them to still be vigilant. Avoid big gatherings and without getting tired, I will repeat this that we should all wear face mask and always observe social distancing.)

Meanwhile in the neighboring Mandaue City, it also recorded zero COVID-19 cases for the day.

That is according to the public information officer of the city in its Facebook page.

“Mandaue City has no new confirmed COVID-19 cases as of December 24,” said the Mandaue PIO on its December 24 post.

According to the PIO as of December 24, Mandaue City’s active cases have remained at 25, 2347 recovered cases, and 172 deaths.