Tagaytay has 35 new COVID-19 cases; 25 contract virus in wake

LUCENA CITY –– Thirty-five new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases were recorded in Tagaytay City in Cavite province, 25 of whom contracted the virus in a wake for the dead, local authorities reported Friday, March 12.

The local government said in a post on its Facebook page that 19 of the 25 mourners, who caught the virus, are residents of Barangay Tolentino West where the wake was being held.

At least six of the latest validated virus carriers are senior citizens, one of them, a 67-year-old religious worker.

The rise in the number of cases was recorded just days after Mayor Agnes Tolentino, on March 8, imposed stricter social regulations to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Tolentino’s order included a provision that required that wakes should last only for three days to be attended solely by immediate family members, who should observe health and safety protocols.

But, if the deceased died from COVID-19, the body should be immediately cremated based on the protocol set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Tagaytay, which is on modified general community quarantine, has recorded 318 cases, 260 recoveries, and seven fatalities since the pandemic started in March last year.

The city still has 51 active virus carriers.

LZB