MANILA (UCAN): A total lockdown has been declared in Cebu, the central Philippines, with health authorities saying the island is at risk of becoming the country’s new Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) epicentre following a spike in cases.
The county’s president, Rodrigo Duterte, placed the entire island under strict quarantine protocols on June 30 after 6,000 Covid-19 cases were recorded there.
Duterte expressed dismay at Cebu’s leaders for loosening quarantine protocols that led to total lockdowns of nearly 12 barangays (local communities).
Health chief, Maria Rosario Vergeire, supported the move, telling a press conference: “We will analyse again the numbers after maybe two weeks. But for now, Cebu (City) is a hotspot that needs a total lockdown.”
Vergeire also said that, based on their predictions, Cebu would “more likely” replace Manila as the new epicentre of Covid-19 in the Philippines.
“Cebu could be the new epicentre because of the mass migration of asymptomatic people from Metro Manila going back to the province due to job retrenchment,” she explained.
Some residents on the island, however, disagreed blaming the spike on less than stringent quarantine protocols.
“This is not only a matter of lockdowns but of mass testing. We still lack mass testing, so those who come from Manila may contaminate their relatives because they are not properly tested by health authorities,” said Karen dela Rama, a resident of Lapu-Lapu City, noting that without mass testing, residents of Cebu have no way of checking if their relatives from Manila are Covid-19 positive.
Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu, urged people to strictly follow government quarantine protocols to prevent any further spread of the virus.
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Archbishop Palma said health restrictions and protocols would be effective only if people were united in following them strictly and calmly.
“Let us maintain our sense of courtesy and respect the government authorities and their orders. They are doing their best for us. They are doing this for the common good,” Archbishop Palma said in a statement.
The archbishop also reminded churchgoers to refrain from hurting one another any further with selfishness or through a lack of generosity, especially to the poor.
“The worst of times is indeed the best of times to show to the rest of the country our sense of personal discipline and our willingness to show our deeply embedded Cebuano spirit of solidarity and tenacity,” the archbishop added.
