CEBU CITY—The province of Cebu is going the way of the island of Luzon in dealing with COVID-19.

On Wednesday (March 25), Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said she would order “enhanced community quarantine” on the province or “lockdown” as a drastic step to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

ADVERTISEMENT

Garcia, however, was just giving a preview of what she planned to do as she said she has to supply details yet after meeting with more officials.

No date has been set for the start of the quarantine or lockdown but Garcia said she wanted it in place as soon as possible.

“We are moving towards a total lockdown,” the governor said. “But we need to put needed measures first,” she said.

Garcia said she will meet with all mayors of Cebu on Thursday (March 26) to discuss procedures in enforcing enhanced community quarantine, which President Rodrigo Duterte had ordered days ago in Luzon in the hope of stopping the spread of COVID-19 by keeping people out of the streets.

“Now more than ever, we need to join hands. Think, decide, and act as one Cebu,” said Garcia.

She said several factors have to be considered in a lockdown like food supply, transportation, quarantine passes and others.

She asked the provincial board to hold an emergency session also on Thursday to declare a state of emergency in Cebu province although health officials had counted only one positive COVID-19 case in Mandaue City.

But Dr. Jaime Bernadas, regional director of the Department of Health, said the province has eight suspected and “presumptive” COVID-19 cases.

Samples taken from patients had been sent to the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine for “confirmatory tests” on the same samples that had already been tested at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

ADVERTISEMENT

Starting at midnight of March 27, Garcia said the province would shut its doors to anyone arriving from a foreign country. “I am doing this for the protection of Cebuanos and for the interest of the province of Cebu,” she said.

Edited by TSB

For more news about the novel coronavirus click here.

What you need to know about Coronavirus.

For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.

The Inquirer Foundation supports our healthcare frontliners and is still accepting cash donations to be deposited at Banco de Oro (BDO) current account #007960018860 or donate through PayMaya using this link .

Read Next

EDITORS' PICK

MOST READ