DESPITE the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in Davao City, Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio is not in favor of placing the city under a strict lockdown again.
The mayor, during a radio interview on Monday, October 26, said the city has no plans of imposing a citywide lockdown, except for localized lockdowns.
Duterte-Carpio said placing the entire city under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and modified ECQ (MECQ) will disrupt the business establishments and its workers who are dependent on their operations.
"It will worsen the situation para sa mga tao ang trabaho depends on the daily sweldo... Mas dako na siya nga problem compared to kung i-manage nalang nato og tarong, paspasan nato ang responses sa pag-manage sa atoang mga confirmed Covid-19 positive na cases (It will worsen the situation for people whose income depends on daily work. This is a bigger problem. Instead, we will manage it properly and be more efficient on our response with Covid-19 cases)," Duterte-Carpio said in an interview via 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
Based on the October 25 data of the Department of Health (DOH)-Davao Region, the city has a total of 3,228 Covid-19 cases, 837 of which are active cases.
With the current number of active cases, the mayor said the public should expect "thousands" who might get infected.
Ideally, the mayor said new cases in a certain barangay or a certain area should be in the single-digits only.
But for Davao City, she said there have been 65 areas that are reporting new cases in the double-digits.
The mayor said the barangays with the most number of cumulative Covid-91 cases in Davao City are Buhangin, Bucana, 23-C, Tomas Monteverde Sr., Sasa, Maa, 19-B, Leon Garcia, Talomo Poblacion, Matina Crossing, Panacan, 22-C, Cabantian, 5-A, Catalunan Grande, Toril Poblacion, Matina Aplaya, Tigato, Indangan, 21-C, Angliongto Sr., Mintal, Tacunan, Paciano Bangoy, Agdao Proper, San Antonio, Daliao, Ilang, 8-A, Pampanga, 20-B, Tibungco, Vicente Hizon, Baliok, 26-C, Wilfredo Aquino, Centro, 25-C, Communal, Bago Aplaya, Bunawan, Matina Pangi, Bago Gallera, Calinan, Mandug, Talomo Proper, Sto. Nino, 37-D, Lizada, Lapu-Lapu, 11-B, Catalunan Pequeno, 31-D, Gov. Duterte, Dumoy, 10-A, R. Castillo, 9-A, 28-C, Bago Oshiro, 27-C, Lubugan, 2-A, and 7-A.
Instead of a lockdown, the mayor said the city will intensify its "test, trace, and treat" mechanism to curb the spread of the virus.
The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases' (IATF-EID) reclassification of quarantine status for November will be published on or before October 31 but the mayor said she has not yet received initial information on the city's expected quarantine status for next month.
She added the city will appeal to IATF-EID if the city will get an ECQ and MECQ status. But in case it will be a general community quarantine (GCQ), the mayor said she will discuss it with the City Covid-19 Task Force.
Duterte-Carpio, meanwhile, warned Dabawenyos to be cautious in sharing posts online.
This came after a post from a Facebook page named "Mga sikat sa davao" had posted on Sunday morning, October 25, urging those coming in and out of the city to cancel their plans as the city might be elevated to ECQ due to the surge of Covid-19 cases.
Duterte-Carpio said during the interview that the post is not true, and that it only caused "disinformation to the public.
The mayor said the city will be referring the tracking of the page administrator to the Davao City Police Office for the confusion and panic it caused. She added the page, bearing the logo seal of the City Government, has also contributed to the confusion.
With this, the mayor reminded the public that all Covid-19-related announcements and advisories will be posted on the City Government's official social media page, City Government of Davao.
"Dili sila motuo anang mga 'Heads up guys!' nga mga announcements sa social media (People should not believe posts bearing 'Heads up guys!' as an introductory message in social media)," she said.
She also said the city gives prior information before any guidelines or order will be implemented to give the public ample time to prepare and adjust, particularly in case a lockdown will be imposed.