Cebu capitol shut as 15 employees get virus

OFF-LIMITS Most employees at Cebu provincial capitol in Cebu City are working from home after Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia ordered the building’s closure and disinfection from July 1 to July 3 after 15 employees tested positive for the coronavirus. —JOWENCE NIÑA MENDOZA”

CEBU CITY—The Cebu provincial capitol in this city was closed to the public from Wednesday to Friday to allow the disinfection of offices and other work spaces and public areas after at least 15 employees tested positive for the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

But Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, in a memorandum announcing the closure and suspension of work at the capitol, said employees of the Provincial Health Office, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, and the Civil Service Unit would continue to be deployed at the capitol compound while the cleanup was ongoing while other employees were asked to work from home. Transactions at the capitol resumes on Monday.

Garcia did not identify the offices of the affected employees. But a report from the capitol said that 10 were “active” cases, four had recovered while one had died.

The capitol’s official online news page, Sugbo News, said 12 of the infected employees were residents of Cebu City, while two others came from Mandaue and Talisay cities.

The capitol building is located in the uptown area of Cebu City, which has remained under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the strictest form of lockdown, until July 15 due to the continued increase in COVID-19 cases in the city.

Cebu City is now considered the country’s COVID-19 hot spot, where virus response initiatives have now been taken over by the national government.

Mourning

At Cebu City Hall, 69 employees have contracted the virus since the pandemic started in March. Those infected included 36 barangay health workers, 12 city health personnel, 19 ambulance service workers, an officer of the Department of Public Services and a councilor. Of these cases, four had died of the disease, including Cebu City Councilor Antonio Cuenco, who was a longtime member of the House of Representatives before he won a seat in the city council in 2019. Cuenco, 84, died on June 27.

Rey Gealon, spokesperson for the city government, said the Philippine flag at the City Hall was flown at half-staff to mourn and honor the city’s fallen front-liners.

Despite the COVID-19 cases, Gealon said the City Hall would remain open for services managed by a skeleton force.

Bottles and dispensers of hand sanitizers and alcohol have been placed in hallways, public areas and offices in the building. Regular disinfection of offices are also being conducted.

Disinfection tents were also installed at the entrances of City Hall.

Work suspension

In Toledo City, in western Cebu province, Mayor Marjorie Perales also suspended work at the City Hall from July 2 to 8 to allow the building’s disinfection.

As of July 1, the Department of Health recorded 8,946 COVID-19 cases on Cebu Island—6,175 in Cebu City, 1,243 in Cebu province, 839 in Mandaue City and 689 in Lapu-Lapu City.

Cebu City recorded 184 deaths and 2,551 recoveries. At least 1,560 people are being treated in hospitals while 1,880 are staying in the city’s quarantine facilities.

While Cebu City is on ECQ, Cebu province’s status has been downgraded to modified general community quarantine starting July 1, except for Talisay City and the towns of Consolacion and Minglanilla, which remain under general community quarantine (GCQ). The independent cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu remain under GCQ until July 15.