FROM community and workplace transmission of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the Cebu City’s Emergency Operation Center (EOC) is now looking into “outside transmission,” its official said.
EOC Deputy Chief Implementer Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera described outside transmission as the transmission which comes from markets, barangay halls and other areas where crowds gather.
Garganera said 40 percent of Covid-19 transmission in Cebu City are traced to outside transmission.
The workplace and community transmission, meanwhile, are 30 percent each.
“Like for example you go to the market, you are not working there, but you got exposed (to the virus) there... like when you go to the barangay hall, muadto ka’g naay mga pundok-pundok, even the mall,” said Garganera.
Garganera already met with the barangay captains, especially those barangays with public markets.
The barangays, prior to the meeting, have already implemented their protocols like allowing only limited stalls inside markets, implementing one entrance and one exit policy, and deploying barangay tanods to ensure health protocols like social distancing is being observed inside the public market.
Garganera said the EOC, through the Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO), makes sure the establishments are implementing strict health protocols.
“These are the challenges that we are facing right now because the transmission is no longer static ba nga naa ra sa usa ka lugar,” said Garganera.
He said this is the reason why the EOC is making sure the protocols in workplaces, public transportation and in the community are being implemented to mitigate the transmission.
Cebu City, as of August 30, 2020, has a total of 9,601 cases of Covid-19, with 618 remaining active cases. It has 8,334 total number of recoveries and 649 total mortalities.
From 52 Barangay Isolation Centers (BICs) in Cebu City in the past months, the Cebu City Government has now reduced the number of BICs to four.
Garganera said the remaining BICs include the schools in Barangays Mambaling, Zapatera, the City Central School and Don Vicente Rama.
When combined, the four schools can accommodate 300 beds, said Garganera.
He said despite the reduced number of BICs, its occupancy rate is only at 20 percent.
When all the BICs were still operational, it has a bed capacity of almost 3,000.
Garganera said the low occupancy rate was due to the aggressive contact tracing, testing and treating of patients positive of coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
“The reason why there are very few being hospitalized, BICs, because aggressive kaayo ang atong EOC, as well as the barangays diri sa community, most and foremost ang atong mga police. Police are still very strict with regards to the movement,” said Garganera.
Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella, in a separate interview, said massive disinfection is being made to schools that were used as BICs before the City returned it to the Department of Education (DepEd).
Labella said due to the decrease of daily cases of Covid-19, the City returned the other schools back to the DepEd.
Garganera said the EOC and the City want to maintain its status now that the transmission has been slowed down. (JJL)