THE Cebu City Health Office (CHO), in coordination with the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), has started the contact tracing of those exposed to the confirmed coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in the city.

City Health Officer Daisy Villa said all the identified individuals who have close contact with the Covid-19 patients, especially with the fatalities, will have to undergo home quarantine for 14 days.

Villa, in a press conference Monday, March 30, 2020, did not disclose the areas where the confirmed Covid-19 cases came from.

As of March 29, Cebu City already recorded 20 confirmed Covid-19 cases.

Of the 20, 16 have been admitted, three have died, while one has recovered, said Villa.

Villa also said the cluster clinic the CHO established in Barangay Hipodromo will have to be transferred to Cebu Medical Society (CMS).

“Gi-stop sa Hipodromo kay di sila ganahan naay dad-on sa ilang barangay (We stopped the one in Hipodromo because they don’t want one in their barangay),” said Villa.

The CHO, together with the Department of Health (DOH), has established cluster clinics where persons with influenza-like illness can go for consultation.

The establishment of cluster clinics is a strategy of the health agency to detect early signs or symptoms of Covid-19, as well as a way to decongest the hospitals in the city. (JJL)