By Jhon Aldrin Casinas Portions of Marikina City Public Market were closed down to pave way for disinfection following the death of a 72-year-old male market vendor. He was suspected to have contracted coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Marikina City Mayor Marcy Teodoro today oversees the thorough decontamination of the Pamilihang Lungsod ng Marikina (Wet Section) following the death of a 72-year-old market vendor who succumbed to a respiratory illness, which is suspected as COVID-19 disease. The massive disinfection and contact tracing was ordered by the mayor as a precautionary measure. (MARIKINA LGU / MANILA BULLETIN) Mayor Marcelino Teodoro ordered the closure of some portions of the public market after a vendor, who exhibited symptoms related to COVID-19), succumbed to a respiratory disease recently. Likewise, Teodoro has ordered the disinfection of the market on Monday, April 20, and Tuesday, April 21, as part of the city’s precautionary measures against the disease. The sections of the market that were closed down are the wet section, grocery section, carinderia section, fruits and vegetables section, and the coconut section. “There should be no transmission in the market because of the huge number of people who might get sick. We must be careful rather than regret in the end,” Teodoro said in a statement. The mayor clarified that only the Wet Section of the public market was closed down for disinfection for the meantime, and not the entire public market. He said the public market will resume operation on Wednesday, April 22. According to the mayor, the elderly man died three days after he exhibited COVID-like symptoms. “The deceased was not tested and it is not yet clear whether he died of COVID-19,” Teodoro stressed. “This is the problem when we will not conduct testing.” ‘Aggressive contact tracing’ The local chief executive said they are currently conducting an “aggressive contact tracing” in areas where the man stayed. “What we are doing here in Marikina is a multi-point contact tracing. Three parallel tracing to cross reference the results. This is being done to validate,” Teodoro explained. He also urged those who had direct contact with the elderly man to coordinate with the City Epidemiological Surveillance Unit (CESU). The city government has also asked for the public's understanding in this time of health crisis, as drastic measures must be done to ensure their safety and well-being. As of 3 p.m. of April 17, the Marikina City Health Department said the city has 79 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 11 recoveries, and 17 deaths.