DAVAO City — Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio placed the entire city under a community-quarantine status on Sunday, the eve of the 83rd Araw ng Dabaw commemoration, as a 21-year old Filipina in the region who came from the UK became the second known of person in Mindanao to test positive for the novel coronavirus disease.
Community quarantine, Duterte-Carpio explained, is only one step away from a lockdown. A lockdown, she added, would restrict the movement of vehicles that would travel to and from the city.
She said, “I had talked with an infectious disease specialist who reached out to the city government to offer to assist us. We’ve been discussing this lockdown. She said lockdown is meant to control the spread of the disease, and if we are very strict, even if there is only one case who tests positive for Covid-19 we have to enforce a lockdown so that nobody can get inside, and avoid transporting the disease inside and outside the city,” she said.
Duterte-Carpio said the local government would take “aggressive and proactive” measures, as the number of Covid-19 cases in the country continues to rise.
She said Davao is facing a public health emergency on two fronts: Covid-19 “and the limitations of our health facilities to respond to a huge segment of our population getting infected with the coronavirus.”
Duterte-Carpio urged the public to cooperate: “Do not leave Davao City. Stop unnecessary travels. Stay home; distance yourself from everyone else. Do not go near other people; wash your hands regularly with soap and water.”
She asked residents not to panic and not to hoard items because hoarding is no guarantee of protection from Covid-19 and is “a total waste of your money.”
Duterte-Carpio said the city government, in coordination with other government agencies and the private sector, “is preparing for the possible influx of Covid-19 positive patients.”
“If we stand together, strong and resilient will be able to overcome this health emergency,” the mayor said.
During the period of quarantine, IDs would be required for non-Davao City residents who work in the city.
Under the community quarantine rules, people should stay in their homes and may only come out to work, buy food or medicines, go to hospital or take out garbage; mass gatherings and classes from kindergarten to post-graduate studies are suspended until after the state of public emergency has been lifted; all religious activities are suspended; government work will not be disrupted; employees from other provinces may enter the city but necessary screening procedures must be followed; private companies must prepare and implement flexible work plan for their employees; require people to procure services and buy goods online from local suppliers; require online meetings and bank transactions; public transportation will be allowed; cargo deliveries will be allowed; and all other activities that may be determined in the future to be applicable in community quarantine.
The mayor urged Dabawenyos to stay inside their homes, and avoid taking trips outside the city, warning them they could no longer return here once a lockdown is declared.
“People need to understand we need to protect each other in the country. If this infection is already here, what we do is to make sure to contain the spread of the infection,” she said.
The Department of Health (DOH)-Davao confirmed on Sunday that a female in the Davao region tested positive for the disease based on laboratory findings from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Manila.
Identified as PH130 or Patient 130, she traveled from the United Kingdom to Manila with a layover in Doha, Qatar then to Davao on Feb. 29, 2020.
The patient was placed in isolation on March 9 in a local health facility after seeking consultation due to cough. The following day, she was admitted for isolation and testing at the state-run Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) in Tagum City.
The DOH said a contact-tracing team of the agency is coordinating with Tagum officials.
The DOH-Davao has listed a total of 50 persons under investigation in the region. Of these, 29 have been discharged while 21 others are currently confined in DRMC and Southern Philippines Medical Center. (Antonio Colina IV, Mindanews)
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