Tacloban village placed under lockdown due to 1st COVID-19 case

TACLOBAN CITY –– Mayor Alfred Romualdez has placed a village here under lockdown after the city registered its first case of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Romualdez said Barangay Cabalawan would remain isolated until the contact tracing of the patient’s close contacts is completed.

“Even the barangay officials themselves agreed to place their village under lockdown for their own good,” he said in a press conference on Thursday.

The first COVID-19 case in Tacloban City involved a 29-year-old woman who worked as an overseas worker in Italy.

The woman tested positive for COVID-19 in Italy.

When she recovered, she decided to return to the country last April 25, and was again tested to determine if she has the virus.

On May 7, it was learned that she was positive for COVID-19. She was placed in an isolation facility in Capas town, Tarlac until she recovered.

Last Monday, June 1, she went home to Tacloban City where she was subjected to another swab test. On Wednesday, test results showed that she was again positive for the virus.

Romualdez said the woman was asymptomatic and was isolated in a facility.

He appealed to residents of the city not to panic as the local government was in control of the situation.

“We are prepared. In the next few weeks, there will be many people who will return home. (But) we should not panic,” Romualdez said.

He, however, ordered the people to observe health guidelines, such as wearing of face masks and observance of physical distancing, among others.

Violators, he said, would be required to pay a fine of P3,000.

LZB