THE decision of Mayor Inday Sara to forego with the celebration of Araw ng Davao and limiting the numbers of send-off and welcoming parties in the airport is a measure that aptly responds to the emergencies of the time and to exact sanity on our penchant to bring the entire barangay at the airport.
We love fiestas and other festivities but at the rate infections of Covid-19 (the new name of nCoV) the city took the side of caution rather than the glee of celebration.
Indeed the number of persons under investigation (PUI) has increased in the Philippines, which does not exclude Davao City, but so far the number of people found positive of the virus remained stagnant at three, one of them had died while the other had survived and have been declared already negative of the virus. Just the same she is being monitored. All three are Chinese nationals. So far not one Filipino has been infected.
While the number of PUI increased this actually is a positive indicator of the public’s response to health authorities’ call to submit themselves to medical attention if they suspect that they were in contact with the Chinese tourists who traveled from Kalibo, Dumaguete and Manila. Aside from this are tourists from China who flew to Kalibo just after China authorities announced the lockdown. They too had been repatriated. Add to this the 30 OFWs from Wuhan, the epicenter of Covid-19 who are now quarantined in Tarlac and are listed as PUI.
Travels to and from China and all its administrative regions had been banned by China and the Philippines but there are other neighboring countries where travel is allowed. This despite the number of positive cases reported in those countries. The action taken by Mayor Inday Sara is a judgment call and we salute her, as a leader, for protecting us from harm. A mother’s instinct.