DUMAGUETE CITY, Nov. 4 (PIA) -- Cases of confirmed COVID-19 infection in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental continue to rise with 10 additional cases reported as of Nov. 3, 2020.
Assistant Provincial Health Officer and Incident Ground Commander of the Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force-Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID) Dr. Liland Estacion explained the details of the additional 10 cases logged in Guihulngan City in a press conference yesterday at the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) Office.
Estacion said five of them are employees of the city government, one an employee of the Gov. William Villegas Memorial Hospital, and the rest are contacts of previously reported COVID-19 cases, NegOr-Cov-333 and NegOr-Cov-231.
Based on data from the city government which was posted on their Guihulngan City Public Information Facebook Page, there are now 49 active cases, 20 recoveries, and three deaths totaling to 72 cases as of Nov. 3, 2020.
It was also disclosed in previous press briefings that most of the infected individuals are employees of the City Hall and Gov. William Villegas Memorial Hospital.
Estacion confirmed that the hospital is temporarily closed since Oct. 27, 2020 because it is used as quarantine facility for the 176 hospital staff who are undergoing quarantine for 14 days.
Estacion disclosed that 30 staff from the said hospital acquired COVID-19 infection, but clarified that no doctor was infected and most of the staff who contracted the virus are nurses, aids, supply officers, pharmacists, and medical technologists.
The local IATF in Guihulngan City already placed Brgy. Poblacion on Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) since Oct. 25, 2020 to contain the spread of the virus.
“(This) is a very good initiative of the local IATF to control the spread of virus in Guihulngan,” Provincial Public Information Officer Bimbo Miraflor said.
Asked if there is a move from the Provincial IATF to place Guihulngan City under city-wide “lockdown” to contain the virus, Miraflor said the Provincial IATF is considering two options. “Ang PIATF adopted the resolution and then we submitted that to the RIATF. However, the DILG (in the) province has another idea regarding the ECQ. Naa man sa bag-ong Memorandum Circular sa (National) IATF na kinahanglan before ECQ there should be granular lockdown para dili ma-hamper ang economic activity sa area (There is a new Memoramdum Circular from the National IATF which states that before an area is placed under ECQ, there should be granular lockdowns first to ensure economic activity in the area will not be hampered),” Miraflor explained.
Guihulngan City logged the highest cases of COVID-19 infection among the local government units in the province as of Nov. 3, 2020, followed by Bayawan City with 32 cases.
Meanwhile, Estacion added that Dumaguete City also logged one additional case of COVID-19 infection, a 39-year old male admitted at Holy Child Hospital but no other details were released.
With this, Negros Oriental recorded 372 COVID-19 cases with 141 active cases, nine deaths, and 222 recoveries including the four new recoveries namely NegOr-Cov-231, NegOr-Cov-234, NegOr-Cov-235 who are all employees of Guihulngan City Hall, and NegOr-Cov-239 of Zamboanguita who is a direct contact of NegOr-Cov-198.
“Kinahanglan gyud ta mo-follow sa minimum health protocol. Mag-wear ta ug mask pero kinahanglan ang insaktong pagsul-ob sa mask. Kung magkaon pwede ta mag (social) distancing sa atong pagkaon o dili ta magtabi. Stay at home kung walay tuyo. Importante kaayo naa ta sa atong balay. Importante pod maghugas sa kamot sa tubig o sabon (We need to follow the minimum health protocols. Always wear masks properly. Practice social distancing when eating or if it can’t be avoided, don’t talk while eating. Stay at home if there is no urgent reason to go out. It is also important to wash hands with soap and water)," said Estacion. (ral/PIA7-Negros Oriental)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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