1st COVID-19 case in Visayas is man who travelled to NCR; contact tracing on
THE NEGROS Oriental provincial government has assured that contact tracing was immediately launched Wednesday night upon confirmation of a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient in the capital Dumaguete City. In a live-streamed press conference, Provincial Public Information Officer Bimbo Miraflor said “contact tracing may have started tonight (March 11) with the Rural Health Unit of the LGU (local government unit) where he comes from.” He added that the provincial police, along with officers of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, will be tapped to assist in getting in touch with those who came into contact with the 62-year old male patient currently being treated at the Siliman University Medical Center (SUMC). The patient, according to details from the provincial government, traveled to the National Capital Region on February 28 for a convention and also visited Greenhills in San Juan City, where there are two confirmed cases. He flew back to Dumaguete City on March 1 on an 8:30 a.m. Philippine Airlines. Mr. Miraflor said they already have a copy of the flight manifest. “We urge the public not to panic. The provincial government is on top of the situation,” he said. Meanwhile, the SUMC, in a statement on March 11 before the COVID-19 case confirmation was announced, said the patient was already placed in isolation at an intensive care unit. “We are making sure that the rest of the Hospital functions normally as we are aware of the critical medical and health services that people in our community need,” SUMC said. On Wednesday morning, Governor Roel R. Degamo issued an order prohibiting “convergence of people in public events and gatherings” in any part of Negros Oriental. The executive order specifies that a large gathering consists of more than 100 people. For “small events” of 20–100 people, individuals showing any symptom of the respiratory disease “are not allowed to attend.”
Almost 100 Korean workers in Jalaur Dam project under monitoring for coronavirus symptoms
KOREAN NATIONALS working at the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project (JRMP) II in Calinog, Iloilo are under strict monitoring by the local government amid concerns over the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Calinog Mayor Francisco L. Calvo said he has directed the municipal health office and the police force to monitor the workers, particularly the almost 100 employees of Daewoo Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd., the project contractor. “We directed them to check the Koreans who arrive here so that we can prevent the entry of the virus,” he said in a press conference. Mr. Calvo also said a local task force focusing on COVID-19 has been formed. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Jalaur project was held last February 27. The dam, a flagship project of the National Irrigation Authority, is the first large-scale reservoir outside Luzon and is scheduled to be completed by 2022. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo
