DAVAO CITY—Cockfight fans and bettors who had been to a cockfighting derby at a venue in the city are now being sought through contact tracing after two people who were at the derbies are now in a hospital for symptoms of COVID-19.
Mayor Sara Duterte issued an urgent appeal on Sunday (March 22) for those who had been at the cockfight derbies to come forward and submit themselves to COVID-19 tests and go on quarantine.
The derbies had been held at the New Matina Davao Gallera from March 6 to 13.
The two who showed COVID-19 symptoms, said the mayor, had been tested and while results are being awaited, “I was told that there are significant indicators that they have COVID-19.”
Duterte said authorities needed to find these people through contact tracing to prevent the spread of the disease.
Duterte said family and friends who had close contact with the two patients from the cockfight arena, now tagged as persons under investigation (PUI), to immediately get in touch with the city’s. COVID-19 hotline.
The city government asked those with colds, cough, fever, diarrhea or sore throat, typical COVID-19 symptoms, to visit COVID-19 health centers in the city, including the Sta. Ana Health Center and Crossing Bayabas Health Center in the district of Toril.
A streamer produced for the cockfighting events showed these were held in connection with Araw ng Dabaw celebrations and offered a pot of P26 million.
The city government had earlier suspended all official Araw ng Dabaw celebrations but it was not clear if the cockfight derby was among those cancelled.
On March 14, the Department of Interior and Local Government directed all local government units to suspend all cockfighting nationwide.
The DOH said one more PUI died in the region on Monday (March 23) while awaiting results of COVID-19 test but did not give any details.