Officials worry Cebu City gig could be ‘superspreader’

TOO CROWDED A drone shot of the “Arat na Cebu” free concert at Cebu City Sports Center on Saturday night shows the crowd estimated at 100,000, with many of them not wearing masks. —PHOTO COURTESY OF ‘ARAT NA CEBU CONCERT’ ORGANIZER

CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines — Health officials have raised concerns over a free concert that gathered around 100,000 people at the city-owned sports complex here on Saturday, who mostly did not observe health protocols, as it could be a “superspreader event” for COVID-19.

Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, chief pathologist of the Department of Health in Central Visayas, said they received reports that many concertgoers were not wearing face masks during the event held at Cebu City Sports Center, as shown in photos and videos.

“The concert that brought in a huge crowd is worrisome in a way. It can be a [COVID-19] superspreader event, especially if the concertgoers did not wear their face masks properly and there were unvaccinated individuals, too,” she said in a statement on Monday.

Present during the concert were some politicians, including reelectionist Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and his running mate, Councilor Raymond Garcia, who both spoke during the concert.

Organizers of the concert dubbed “Arat na Cebu,” however, insisted it was not a political gathering but a celebration after Cebuanos overcame the COVID-19 cases, as the city is now under alert level 1, and the devastation of Typhoon “Odette” (international name: Rai) which hit parts of the Visayas and Mindanao in December last year.

Event organizer Barney Borja said they appreciated the Cebuanos’ “overwhelming response” to the concert, which brought in known performers like Gloc-9, December Avenue and Missing Filemon, adding they only invited Rama and Garcia as “special guests to greet the Cebuanos.”

“Cebu City has moved forward through the introduction of the ‘open policy’ anchored on the principle of shared responsibility. As the theme of this concert says ‘Let’s Move Forward Together,’ we want Cebuanos to feel that there is hope after everything that has been happening,” Borja said.

The concert was funded by some Cebuano businessmen who wanted to remain unnamed, according to a source who also asked not to be identified.

Rama said the massive crowd who attended the concert only showed the desire of Cebuanos to take part again in public events that had been halted during the first two years of the pandemic.

No stampede

Lt. Col. Ryan Devaras, chief of the Cebu City Police Office, clarified there was no stampede during the concert as reported on social media but they received reports of shoving involving some concertgoers. At least 21 persons got hurt, fainted, or had difficulty breathing during the event, the city police reported.

Councilor Joel Garganera, the deputy chief implementer of the Emergency Operations Center, said big gatherings in the city were allowed since it was already under alert level 1 from March 16 to March 31. But residents are still required to wear face masks in public, he added.