CAGAYAN de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno said Tuesday, May 26, that while he understands President Rodrigo Duterte's decision to disallow the reopening of classes pending a vaccine, the virus can still be defeated by doing the minimum public health standards.
Said minimum public health standards include staying at home, social distancing, wearing of face masks and hand washing.
"I can understand the President's apprehension or anxiety. Magklase, ma-expose ang mga bata. That's perfectly understandable," Moreno said during the regular press conference on Covid-19 updates on Tuesday.
He said this is a matter of adjusting to the "new normal."
"Vaccine or bakuna.. it takes years. Sa America naa nay mga trials that have already reached advanced points. Until that vaccine is found then wala pa gyud tambal," Moreno said.
"It's not as if it is only the vaccine that can kill or that can make us win this war. Ato man ni mabuntog ang virus sa pagpuyo ra sa balay ug handwashing ug face mask ug social distancing," he added.
As of May 25, the City Health Office has recorded a total of 276 suspect cases in Cagayan de Oro, nine of which are currently admitted and have already been swabbed with results still pending.
The city has also four probable cases and a total of nine confirmed coronavirus-positive individuals.