CAGAYAN de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno said Monday, October 12, that while imposing a lockdown in the city is one of the solutions to stop the increase of local cases, there is still the question of whether the city can bear the impact of it in the economy.
"Pwede man i-upgrade ang atong quarantine level, that can be a solution but we have to be prepared to accept and bear the effect of that," Moreno said.
He added that by upping the quarantine level of Cagayan de Oro City to lockdown, it will stop the operations of public transport, cause malls to close and limited operations of markets.
"I hope everybody realizes the effect to the economy kung mao nang mahitabo. It is a solution, yes. Pero can we bear it?" Moreno said.
As of October 11, the total number of confirmed cases in Cagayan de Oro has reached 1,068, after 30 residents and four persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Of the 30 new local cases, 15 are close contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Moreno said the extraction of close contacts of Covid-19 patients is "very challenging," especially with the continued rise of local cases in the city.
The mayor added that for every coronavirus-positive patient, the average number of close contacts is five.
"Sa nahibaw-an lang na sa atong City Health Office. Posible naa pay daghan nga wala na ta kahibalo. Kinahanglan bantay gyud ta tanan," Moreno said.
"Nakahibalo na ta nga we don't need a lockdown kung disiplinahon lang nato ang atong kaugalingon. Imong nakita nga wala mag face mask, badlonga, labi na og pamilya o kaila. Mao ra na ang solusyon. Maningkamot ta nga ato ni ma-solve without lockdown," he added.
The mayor, once again, asked the public to observe the minimum public health standards.