By Liezle Basa Inigo
DAGUPAN CITY — After five of them tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Saturday, nine more frontliners of this city were found afflicted by the dreaded viral ailment on Sunday.
The new set of infections was disclosed in test results sent to Mayor Brian Lim by the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) on Sunday.
This brought the number of new Covid-19 cases among city government workers to 14.
The city’s COVID-19 focal person Dr. Ophelia Rivera said all of the new cases have been isolated and given medical attention. Contact tracing was also being conducted by City Health Office and Department of Health personnel.
The front-liners were among those who were swabbed for specimens during the city government-initiated risk-based COVID-19 testing conducted from May 27 to 30.
Of the nine new cases, one of them was from Barangay Turac East in San Carlos City, while the rest were from Barangays Pantal, Barangay IV, Bonuan Gueset, Carael, Caranglaan and Calmay.
Lim, claimed that there could be more possible cases among those who were tested because the city was still awaiting more test results from the PRC.
He said that, so far, he has received 517 test results from the PRC, out of the 728 city government front-liners, including those from the Dagupan City Philippine National Police, who have been swabbed.
“With a total of 14 COVID-19 positives, that is 2.7 percent infection rate so far. All asymptomatic,” said Lim.
To prevent the community transmission of the disease, Lim has written the Covid-19 Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to appeal that the city be allowed to retain its GCQ status.
Lim has also suspended the implementation on Monday, June 1, of Executive Order (EO) No. 30-A or the Basic Guidelines for Modified General Community Quarantine, which he signed on May 29.
In EO No. 31, which he issued on May 31, 2020, Lim said that he was reimposing the Basic Guidelines for General Community Quarantine, which he issued on May 15, through EO No. 30.
“There is a need anew to restrict the movement of people in Dagupan, given this supervening event in order to contain the spread of COVID-19,” Lim said.