Cebuanos alerted to strict controls on their movement due to COVID-19

CEBU CITY –– Cebuanos are in for more stringent controls on their mobility as Cebu recorded its first confirmed case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Wednesday.

“On Friday, we will announce stricter controls on mobility, on movements of people in our province––the same things that we saw in other countries, in Metro Manila, and the entire Luzon,” said Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia during a press conference on Wednesday evening.

The governor was set to meet local officials, including the mayors of independent cities in the province, as well as Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino.

Local health officials have confirmed the first COVID-19 case in Cebu involving a 65-year-old patient, who is confined at a private hospital in Mandaue City.

The patient, they said, is on the way to recovery.

Garcia urged the public to stay at home and avoid all unnecessary trips. She said the situation is very serious, and that people should cooperate with the protocols imposed by local governments.

“Stay calm but stay prepared. Follow all measures that the government is now asking the public to follow,” Garcia said.

The governor said they would weigh carefully the options available considering the economic impact that a lockdown or an enhanced community quarantine may pose to Cebu.

Garcia said the health of the Cebuanos would be the priority.

“We have to study very, very carefully. Right now, you know that the entire Luzon is on enhanced community quarantine and they have guidelines who are allowed outside and we know the impact of this on businesses and the workers. All of these have to be weighed very carefully,” she said.

Garcia said Cebu would learn from the community quarantine in Manila, that while the objectives are rational, “we should also learn how and when it should be implemented.”

She also warned all those who spread fake news about COVID-19, and that the authorities would deal with them accordingly. She advised people to listen only to legitimate media outfits and advisories from government agencies.

As for the first positive COVID-19 case in Cebu, Garcia said she had asked the DOH-7, the police, and the military to help out in tracing those who have interacted with the patient.

She said she wanted the patient to be identified so that those who came in contact with him would know and volunteer to be subjected to protocols.

Contact-tracing would be faster, she said, if it is handled by the police and the military.

LZB