MAASIN City Mayor Nacional Mercado has appealed for continued support and cooperation of the public as the city recorded 12 new cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Friday, January 15, 2021.

“We are certainly exhausting all our efforts to prevent the further transmission of the virus. Please continue to practice the infection-prevention and control measures. Go out only when necessary,” Mercado said.

The mayor also suspended the work at the city hall on Friday for disinfection and sanitation purposes after one of their employees contracted the coronavirus.

Mercado assured residents that the new cases “were already isolated with close monitoring by our medical workers.”

“We have also instructed our contact tracing team to submit immediately those who have primary exposure to the patients, as well as their secondary contacts, in order to closely monitor the following individuals. The said primary and secondary contacts will then undergo a RT-PCR (swab) test,” the mayor said.

Two of the new cases are male inmates aged 22 and 34.

Meanwhile, Mercado announced that five additional patients have recovered from Covid-19 and were discharged from the isolation facility for community reintegration.

As of Friday, Maasin City reported 280 confirmed cases, 232 recoveries, two deaths, and 44 active cases. (SunStar Philippines)