UPDATED: 17 more in Cebu City Jail infected with COVID-19

Cebu City now has 352 cases

In this photo taken Sunday, April 5, 2020, laboratory technician Irene Ooko prepares nasal swabs to be tested for the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, at the Pathologists Lancet Kenya laboratory in Nairobi, Kenya. The company, which is offering tests to patients with a doctor’s referral, was previously having to send samples to South Africa for testing but is now completing the testing in-house in Kenya. |AP Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Cebu City logged 20 more confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Friday, April 24, 2020, bulk of which are from Cebu City Jail.

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella made this announcement on Facebook. He said 17 of the new COVID-19 cases in the city are from the city jail, which is located in Barangay Kalunasan here.

This development brings the total number of infected individuals in the penal facility to 146.

Labella also said one new COVID-19 patient is recorded each in Barangays Mambaling, Labangon, Guadalupe, and Luz.

As a result, Cebu City now has 348 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and remains the area in Central Visayas with the highest number.

Barangay Luz, where Sitio Zapatera belongs, now has a total of 139 confirmed cases.

Sitio Zapatera is considered an urban poor community, and with a population of over 9,000, it is the largest sub-village of Barangay Luz.

Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Cebu City is extended up to May 15. /bmjo

Note: This is an updated story. Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella announced earlier there are 24 additional cases in the city on April 24, 2020. However, the mayor posted a clarification, stating there are only 20 new cases in the city and that four were repeat tests from previously confirmed cases.