DAVAO CITY – Mayor Sara Duterte denied reports the local government would lockdown the whole city due to the spike in Covid-19 cases, calling it “fake news.”
Duterte’s reaction came after news of
it broke in social media.
She advised residents to only get
government advisories, announcements, decisions, and other information from
legitimate sources such as the official website and social media accounts of
the Davao City government.
“Again i-remind lang nato ang
kaigsoonang Dabawenyo nga kung dili siya gikan sa official city government
accounts, kung dili siya gikan sa mga official city government channels, social
media, radio station, and advisory publications sa atong mainstream media
partners, there is no truth to any information,” she said.
Duterte said that there has never
been a discussion on the implementation of a city-wide lockdown contrary to the
posts proliferating on Facebook. “The only lockdowns the city imposes are
house, compound, street, and barangay lockdown,” she said, stressing all local government
announcements and other plans, especially on its Covid-19 response are
disseminated to the public through formal advisories before its implementation.
She appealed anew to Dabawenyos to
refrain from sharing unverified information from social media platforms to
avoid panic.
“Make sure na kung kamo mag share,
verified ang inyohang information. Meaning gipangutana na ninyo ang tao kung
tinuod ba ang iyahang gi-istorya,” the mayor said as she urged locals to report
people who spread fake news on all platforms to the Davao City Police Office.
Duterte said the sudden surge in
Covid-19 cases was due to mass gatherings and non-essential movement of
residents here. “The top two reasons for the fast spreading or increase of
transmission are mass gatherings and non-essential movements,” she said.
Davao City has over 800 active
Covid-19 cases and at least 140 deaths.
Duterte said the local government
continues to track down those who had contacts with Covid-19 infected people
despite it being a daunting task.
The Department of Interior and Local
Government also provided 1,400 contact tracers. Duterte said she hopes that the
Davao QR (quick response) code system, which is currently under pilot testing, will
fast track the contact tracing once it is fully operational.
Duterte also reiterated the risk of
transmission in crowded places or confined and closes spaces such as offices
and spaces with poor air ventilation. She urged Dabawenyos to only leave
their homes for essential needs such as food, hospital, medicines, money, work,
and shelter. (With a report from the Malou Cablinda.)
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