DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio allayed rumors that the city is opting a two-month enhanced community quarantine after May 31, the last day of the general community quarantine (GCQ).
The mayor made this point Monday in a radio interview, explaining that the city has taken a more active method in contact tracing and managing confirmed COVID-19 cases in an effort to arrest the spread of the virus.
She also said the city government has spent a minimum of P476 million in response to the pandemic although she did not elaborate.
“We will not have a two month lockdown because we cannot afford to have it. Although there are people who can last for two months not going out of the house, but there are more people who cannot take a two month lockdown,” Duterte said.
She said that unless nothing drastic happens until May 31, the city may continue with the GCQ or a modified GCQ depending on the number of COVID-19 cases handled by the Southern Philippines Medical Center in the city.
Duterte added that it is the National Inter-agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases that will decide on the quarantine status of a city.
The city is now focus on conducting a screening of some 300 vendors in the Agdao Public Market after a reported number of cases in that area. The market is closed for seven days since May 23 for disinfection.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health Region 11 reported that no deaths were recorded in the region between May 16 to 25. SPMC reported that recent cases are mostly “mild” and “asymptomatic”.
The SPMC reported as of May 25, a total of 235 confirmed cases, with 99 active positive patients,111 recoveries and 25 deaths.(davaotoday.com)
