TALISAY City Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas Jr. is officially back at work.
He made this announcement on his Facebook page on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021.
“Even though it’s a holiday, it’s officially my first day back at work today since I got hit by Covid-19. I’d like to thank everyone for the prayers for me to get back to work,” he said.
Feb. 25 is the anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution.
Gullas also thanked Vice Mayor Alan Bucao for taking over the reins at City Hall while he was gone.
He said he still worries about possibly infecting his family when he returns home even though he has already recovered from the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
“My doctor told me that according to studies, 96 percent of Covid-19 patients are no longer infectious after 10 days, 98 percent are no longer infectious after the 14th day, 99 percent after the 21st, and 100 percent after the 28th,” he said.
Although he is asymptomatic, Gullas has decided not to return home until after 21 days after he tested positive for the disease for his child’s safety.
On his first day at work, Gullas addressed the concern of the people in balancing the Covid-19 situation and getting the economy back on track.
He also appealed to his constituents to assist the local government unit in tackling the issue.
“First of all, I’m humble enough to say that the government cannot do it alone... We can set guidelines and we can implement protocols, but as I always say, the government cannot be in all places at once,” he said
He reminded residents to follow health protocols to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Meanwhile, the mayor agreed with Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia that Cebu should not be locked down again.
“We are one with you (Garcia) that there should be no lockdown. But it will be very difficult to get the economy back on track if the public only complies with minimum health protocols if there are police around,” he said in a mix of Cebuano and English. (RSR)