Iloilo City suspends small gatherings due to virus spike

FEAST DAY Wearing masks and observing distancing, people attend Mass at Jaro Cathedral grounds in Iloilo City to celebrate the Feast of Nuestra Señora dela Candelaria on Tuesday. —PHOTO COURTESY OF OFFICE OF THE ILOILO CITY MAYOR

ILOILO CITY—Small gatherings, except for people from the same household, have been suspended here for a week due to a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases.

Mayor Jerry Treñas on Monday issued an executive order barring gatherings, like parties celebrating weddings and anniversaries, in public and private venues from Feb. 1 to Feb. 8 after the city’s Covid Response Team identified these activities as among the most likely causes of the increase in infections.

Outbreaks were reported at the offices of the Department of Health (DOH), Department of the Interior and Local Government, and Philippine Coast Guard, according to Jeck Conlu, spokesperson for the team.

The city’s total number of new Covid-19 cases from Jan. 1 to Jan. 29 reached 306, or 12.92 percent higher than that in the same period last December.

Records from the DOH in Western Visayas showed that Iloilo City logged 5,020 cases as of Feb. 1, with 255 considered active. The city recorded 155 deaths.

Situation in Passi

The situation in Passi City, Iloilo province, was also being closely monitored as the citywide lockdown entered its sixth day on Tuesday. The two-week lockdown, implemented on Jan. 28, was prompted by an outbreak at the city market.

The provincial health office recorded a total of 3,723 cases as of Feb. 1, with Passi logging the highest number at 493. —NESTOR P. BURGOS JR.