TAGBILARAN CITY – The island – province of Siquijor on Sunday reported its first two coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, after being the only Central Visayas province to be infection-free since the pandemic broke out.
In a statement posted on social media, Siquijor Gov. Zaldy Villa said two locally stranded individuals (LSIs) from the towns of Lazi and Larena tested positive for the virus.
“COVID-19 managed to enter the island despite our efforts to enforce strict health protocols,” he said.
He said the patients arrived from Metro Manila through the government’s Hatid Tulong program for LSIs.
They were already isolated to contain the spread of the virus.
Villa stressed that the first two cases in Siquijor were not due to local transmission.
Siquijor, known as the mystic island and the island of fire, is the third smallest province in the country.
As of August 1, Central Visayas has 16,496 COVID-19 cases (6,070 active cases, 9,575 recoveries and 851 deaths), the Department of Health (DOH) said.