DAVAO CITY—-Vendors at the Agdao public market, one of the biggest in the city, were screened and tested for SARS Cov2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, after six persons who went to the market contracted the virus.
Mayor Sara Duterte said the tests would help find virus carriers in the public market, which has been ordered closed for a week starting on May 23 for disinfection.
A team from the city government’s health office would also randomly collect respiratory samples by swabbing and for tests.
Duterte said the city government will supply food to at least 300 vendors who would temporarily be displaced.
The mayor added that depending on the recommendation of health experts, the Agdao public market could stay closed for longer than one week.
The local IATF, or Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19, had tagged Agdao public market as a coronavirus hot spot.
As of Tuesday (May 26), the city had 253 COVID-19 cases with 111 recoveries and 25 fatalities.
The city has been on general community quarantine since May 16.