Davao City – Davao City’s confirmed COVID-19 positive cases, which exceeded the 500-mark over the weekend, is a cause for alarm, Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte said.
Duterte, during the Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) Special Hours program said, “A cause for alarm, yes. According sa presentation ni Dr. Lopez (According to the presentation of Dr. Ashley Lopez), it is not yet a surge but it seems to indicate that there is a pre-surge.”
As of May 9, Davao City logged a total of 513 active COVID-10 cases after 74 were added to the number on that day. But the mayor maintained that it’s not up to the city to be classified under an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) or modified community quarantine (MECQ) since it is the national government, particularly the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases that decides the matter.
Duterte also reiterated what she said in her recorded message last week, saying, “Ginaingon nato sa tanan we do not want an ECQ or an MECQ but if we continue to kanang dili strikto sa atong public minimum health standards, sa pagfollow non-pharmaceutical interventions nato, then we will really have a surge of these cases diri sa atong city. And usually, ang ECQ og ang MECQ naay measure kung kanus-a na iimplement.”
She, however, hoped that the city would continue to manage, stop, or push down the increasing number of COVID-19 cases to prevent an ECQ or an MECQ.
“We are all in agreement, I do not think there is one-person diri here sa atong syudad na gusto mag (here that wants) ECQ or MECQ. Dili nato gusto buhaton na, that’s the same message gihatag nato last week. Ginaingon nato nag-antos ta, nagaantos tang tanan. Dili nato pasagadan atong paghago og pag-antos mahulog lang sa wala kay mudaghan atong mga kaso. Panigurohon nato nga ang pag-antos nato, ang lisod na giagian nato, dili mudaghan ang mga kaso,” Duterte added.
She bared that of the 60 COVID-19 cases recorded on May 8, Buhangin topped the list with the most number of cases having had 12, followed by Talomo South with nine, Talomo Central 7, Talomo North 6, Bunawan 5, Agdao 4, and Sasa 4.
Duterte attributed the rising cases to outbreaks in the clustering of cases aside from the surveillance and contact tracing testing. (City Information Office | Michael Manguhig, RPN DXKT Davao OIC)