A LOCAL official here has called on residents to remain calm after the Department of Health (DOH) in Eastern Visayas confirmed on Wednesday night the first coronavirus disease 2019 patient in the city.
Vice Mayor Jerry Yaokasin said this is high time for people to cooperate by following health protocols, especially that the city is still under general community quarantine.
“Our worst fear has been confirmed. As much as we want to remain coronavirus-free, we have one confirmed case now. We will have to work together to prevent community spread. Your utmost cooperation is needed at this time,” Yaokasin said on Thursday.
The DOH reported that a 29-year-old female cruise ship worker is the first confirmed infected person in the city, the capital of Leyte province, and the Eastern Visayas region. She arrived in the city on June 1 through Air Asia flight.
The patient, the region’s 46th case is now confined in an isolation facility, according to the health department.
Tacloban is the fourth city in Eastern Visayas that recorded a Covid-19 positive case. The first was Calbayog then followed by Catbalogan, both in Samar. Early this week, Baybay City in Leyte also recorded its first case.
Observing health protocol set by authorities will greatly help in preventing the further spread of the virus, Yaokasin said. These include wearing of face mask while outdoors, regular handwashing, and practice of safe physical distancing.
Last April, the city council approved an ordinance requiring every city residents and other people who are inside the city’s boundary to wear a face mask when they are in public places.
“Be careful and cautious. Stay vigilant, but I’m confident that we will overcome this crisis. Tacloban residents are very resilient people,” he added.
He also asks the public to report to authorities on information about returning city residents although all of them are required to register with the city government upon arrival.
The announcement of Tacloban’s first Covid-19 case came a few hours after the health department announced the first confirmed cases in Biliran province and Villareal, Samar.
The first case in Biliran is from Naval town, a 19-year-old student with travel history to Metro Manila and Baguio. He arrived in the town on May 27 through a private car from Manila that made a stopover in Catbalogan City and Tacloban City.
Villareal town’s first case is a 43-year-old male who also arrived in the town from Luzon using his private car.
DOH also reported on Wednesday the second Covid-19 confirmed case in Tolosa, Leyte. The patient is a 27-year-old Overseas Filipino Worker, who returned to the province last May 25 via Philippine Airlines flight.
As of Thursday morning, the region has 47 coronavirus cases with 25 recoveries and zero death.
Of the total cases, 32 are from Samar, 13 from Leyte, and one each from Northern Samar and Biliran.
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