CEBU CITY, Philippines — One of the members of a Sinulog 2021 contingent has tested positive for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) after manifesting symptoms.
Councilor Joel Garganera, the deputy chief implementor of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), said the participant was swab tested yesterday, and results were released today, January 8, 2021, proving that the patient has indeed contracted the virus.
At least 90 other participants of the same contingent are now subject to contact tracing. Should a number of them prove positive for the virus, the whole contingent may be barred from performing in the Grand Parade even if their performance is pre-filmed.
“We don’t want to preempt the contact tracing because the patient may have isolated himself ahead of time and the other participants are not positive. We will see,” said the councilor.
Garganera said this is one of his concerns, that the contingents were not placed in a bubble and they could easily travel around risking their exposure to the virus and transmitting it to the other members of the contingent.
As of now the contingent’s participation in the virtual Sinulog 2021 is in limbo until the contact tracing has been completed and the results have been released.
The EOC will also conduct swab tests in other contingents to ensure there is no transmissions in their groups.
Mayor Edgardo Labella already said in recent statements that all contingents have to be swabbed and that the city government will cover the cost of such.
As for the out-of-town contingents, it is not yet clear if their own local government units (LGUs) will be covering the cost of the swab test, but the EOC said the Department of Health (DOH) will help in the swabbing of the contingents.
Garganera urged the participants to practice minimum health protocols during their rehearsals to avoid the spread of the virus.
They must also be cautious on where they travel outside of rehearsals to ensure they do not catch the virus elsewhere. /rcg