THE drinking buddies of the man who tested positive for Sars-CoV-2, the virus causing the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), in Barangay Sasa, Davao City, are now undergoing reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, and contact tracing has been conducted for those who were in close contact with them.
Barangay Sasa Captain Jerry Licarte confirmed this during an interview with dxGM Super Radyo Thursday morning, October 22, 2020.
He said the Covid-19 patient was having a drinking session with his friends when the latter learned that he is positive for the virus. His friends were immediately swabbed soon after.
Licarte also revealed that the wife of the man, who is working as a government employee, also tested positive for Covid-19.
He said based on their contact tracing and swab testing of the drinking buddies of the Covid-19 patient, results revealed that some of them also tested positive.
In the October 21, 2020 data of the Department of Health Davao Region (DOH-Davao), five new cases were recorded in Barangay Sasa.
Two houses are currently being cordoned in the barangay, including the house of the man who first tested positive for the virus.
Licarte said the barangay is trying its best to trace those who had close contact with the positive patients.
As of Thursday afternoon, Superbalita tried to get additional information from Licarte, but he refused as they are continuing the contract tracing of friends and families of those involved in the drinking session.
On September 21, Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio issued Executive Order (EO) No. 50, lifting the 24-hour liquor ban in the city. The ban was implemented on April 6 to slow the spread of the virus.
On October 12, less than a month after lifting the 24-hour liquor ban, the mayor issued EO 55, reimposing the ban, but this time, it will be from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The reimposition of the ban came with the reimplementation of the curfew following the sudden increase in Covid-19 cases in the city.
"We deemed it nga kinahanglan i-regulate kanang mga activities nga ginabuhat sa mga tao nga dili essential, dili sila sulod didto sa kanang ginasulti sa IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases) Omnibus Guidelines (We deemed it necessary to regulate non-essential activities, or those outside of the IATF Omnibus Guidelines)," Duterte-Carpio said in a previous interview on the 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
Health authorities and the mayor have also earlier said the recent increase in Covid-19 cases in the city was due to gatherings outside of work.
As of October 21, data from DOH-Davao shows that Davao City now has 2,853 Covid-19 cases. Of the number, 2,056 have recovered, 671 are still active cases and 126 died.