By Tara Yap
ILOILO CITY – Vice Governor John Edward Gando strongly maintained there was no confirmed case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the island province of Guimaras.
“The report has caused intense fear, apprehension and confusion among the people,” Gando said.
Gando was reacting to the May 2 report of the Department of Health (DOH), which said that Guimaras just had its first positive case of COVID-19.
The vice governor was among the many Guimarasnons who were outraged to point out that the person identified to have COVID-19 was not even physically in Guimaras.
A 27-year-old made from Buenavista town in Guimaras was tagged as one of the five repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), who tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Iloilo City last April 29.
But Gando was quick to underscore that the OFW was still under strict isolation in a facility in Iloilo City.
“It has been established the person has not set foot in Guimaras since the time he arrived in Iloilo. But in spite of such, DOH appears to be hell-bent in sticking to its position that Guimaras has its first COVID-19 case,” Gando noted.
Guimaras is supposed to be the only province in Western Visayas region not to have any positive COVID-19 case.
DOH said the case was recorded under Guimaras because the afflicted OFW had his official address as listed in the island province.
However, DOH previously recorded a case in Antique province when a 74-year-old man from Metro Manila flew into Semirara Island in Culasi town. It was when the man arrived in Semirara that he was tested positive for COVID-19.