BARANGAY Tomas Monteverde Sr. in Agdao District has recorded 64 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) from August 1 to 16, based on the patient profile from the Department of Health-Davao Region (DOH-Davao).
The first case in the barangay was recorded on August 1, 2020. Patient DR-1317 is a 56-year-old male who is asymptomatic. Investigation is still ongoing for his history of exposure to the virus.
The remaining 63 cases, which were all recorded in August, were infected by a confirmed case. However, DOH-Davao has yet to provide information if they were all infected by one person.
The oldest Covid-19 cases in the barangay are DR-1559 (male) and DR-1562 (female), both are 67 years old. Youngest case is DR-1735, a one-month-old female. All three of them are asymptomatic as of August 16, 2020.
Data from DOH-Davao showed that there were two dates in August that noted a significant number of Covid-19 patients from the barangay. The first was on August 11 where 29 out of 32 new Covid-19 cases in the region were from the barangay. The other was on August 16 where 30 of the 55 new cases in the region also came from the barangay.
All Covid-19 cases in the barangay remain to be active cases.
Due to the Covid-19 cases in the area doubling in less than a week, the City Government of Davao has placed a 14-day hard lockdown in Purok 8 of Barangay Tomas Monteverde Sr. beginning Monday, August 17, 2020.
The lockdown, which took effect beginning 1:30 p.m., is the local government's measure to prevent "possible massive spread of the infection in the area due to confirmed positive cases."
The local government made an initial advisory stating that the entire barangay will be under lockdown. However, it later made an update at 12:48 p.m. Monday, August 17, that it will only be a purok lockdown.
According to the city's advisory, 65 persons were evacuated and brought to a temporary treatment and monitoring facility (TTMF) after their reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test yielded positive results.
The City Government advised the public to avoid Barangay Tomas Monteverde for now.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said in a radio interview on Monday afternoon that the city also expanded its coverage for the lockdown in order to curb the community transmission.
"Actually, gamay ra na nga area atong ginatutukan nato dinha, pero gipadako nato ang coverage sa lockdown since pag magsugod na og takod-takod, for sure mu-spread or makalat gyud na dinha (The area placed under lockdown is small. We know that once there is a transmission in the area, there is the possibility that a lot may have already been infected. Therefore, expanded the area we are monitoring and placing on a lockdown)," Duterte-Carpio said in a live interview via 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
She said the transmission was not surprising because Tomas Monteverde is a neighboring barangay of Leon Garcia, another area in Agdao District with a significant number of Covid-19 cases.
Meanwhile, the mayor said residents cannot come in or out during the lockdown, except for those who will go to hospital or for other emergency purposes.
The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), City Agriculturist Office (CAO), and the City Veterinarian's Office (CVO) will be providing food assistance to residents affected by the lockdown, the mayor said.
According to the figure she received from the City Health Office (CHO), 417 are affected in the lockdown.
Duterte-Carpio, meanwhile, called on business and office heads to excuse their employees living in the barangay from going to work during the duration of the lockdown, provided they would be able to present a document or any proof they were included in the lockdown.
Despite being placed under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), the City Government, in accordance to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) Omnibus Guidelines, is given authority to impose localized or community lockdown on areas where there is a rapid spread of transmission.
"We want to avoid ing-ani nga situation nga naga-hard lockdown ta sa isa ka lugar because hasol siya sa mga tao nga nagpuyo diha, and dangerous siya sa mga tao (We want to avoid reaching to this point of implementing a hard lockdown in a certain area because it would inconvenience the residents)," Duterte-Carpio said.
The mayor, meanwhile, reminded once again the public to observe the minimum health standards such as frequent handwashing, wearing of face masks in public places, follow two meter physical distancing, and avoid going outside unless when in need to buy food, medicine, or other necessary errands.
As of August 17, the City imposed lockdowns to 55 households, two compound lockdowns, and a purok lockdown. Although the data did not specify if this included Purok 8 of Tomas Monteverde.
In July this year, the City had also placed the entire Barangay 23-C under a hard lockdown.