DESPITE having been "Covid-19-free" in the past days, an official from the City Government of Mati, Davao Oriental said cases might surge this holiday season.

Mati Information Officer Ben Tesiorna said in a radio interview since Wednesday, December 9, the city recorded zero active cases after patient MC-127 had recovered after completing her 10 days quarantine.

Tesiorna said this is the third time the city became "Covid-19-free." The first was on June 27, then on September 10, and, recently, on December 9.

"Pero dili buot pasabot na wala na'y hulga sa Covid-19 diria sa Mati (But that doesn’t mean there is no more Covid-19 threat here in Mati)," he said on Thursday, December 10, in an interview via 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.

Mati Mayor Michelle Rabat said in a previous interview that the city has not yet recorded any local transmission of the coronavirus despite the recorded surge in infections within their locality.

Rabat clarified that none of the confirmed cases are from local transmission, saying most recorded cases are from returning locals.

The entire Davao Oriental, including Mati, is still under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), which allows tourism establishments and activities to operate but under limited capacity, as mandated by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases.

He said the city had since reopened some of its tourism establishments and resorts, and had opened its borders to outside residents, including Davao City, which has the highest Covid-19 cases in the entire region.

Tesiorna said the city continues to implement strict measures as Christmas is fast approaching.

"Ga-expect atong Incident Management Team na musaka pa ni (Our Incident Management Team is expecting a surge of cases) because of the Holiday season. So manguli gyud sila dinhi (There’s a possibility they will come home to celebrate it here)," the official said.

Davao Oriental Governor Nelson Dayanghirang issued Executive Order (EO) 40 on October 5, reiterating the health and safety guidelines on the operation of tourism and related establishments while the province is under MGCQ.

According to the EO, walk-in guests will not be allowed to stay overnight in the province's tourist destination. They must present confirmed booking appointments in the accommodation establishment. All border control checkpoints will have a list of establishments accredited by the Department of Tourism (DOT).

Tourism establishments are urged to utilize online or mobile modes of reservation and payment applications.

Upon entering, guests will undergo a mandatory screening that includes checking body temperature using a thermal scanner or thermometer gun.

For Mati, Tesiorna said among their requirements is the travel manifest form, which shows who the guests are accompanying with upon entry. He said this will be for easy contact tracing.

He also said large gatherings are only limited to 25 guests.

For now, he said the province is still working on its quick response (QR) code system, adding they are also waiting for the region to have a unified QR code, which is lobbied by other local chief executives and the Department of Health.

As of December 9, Davao Oriental has four active cases, the lowest in the entire region. Its total cases are now at 122, also the lowest, with 115 recoveries and three deaths.