Party blamed for surge in COVID cases

Discipline and adherence to rules will go a long way in curbing the rise in COVID-19 infections.

This is the main lesson that must be gleaned from the recent surge in cases in Iloilo City almost a week into December 2020.

On Dec 1, the task force logged 15 cases, Dec 2 with 24, Dec 3 with 11, Dec 4 with 20, Dec 5 with 11, and Dec 6 (as of 12 pm) with 3.

The uptick comes at a time when the city managed to suppress new infections in the last 11 days of November.

From a high of 16 cases in Nov 10, cases in the city tapered to 2 new infections on Nov 30.

According to Jeck Conlu, spokesperson of the Iloilo City Covid-19 Team, majority of the new cases recorded on the first week of December can be traced to an index case involving a family gathering held in the district of Jaro.

Conlu said the family organized a gathering in the last week of November where one of them turned out positive for Covid-19 and infected 22 other persons who attended the gathering.

“Last week sang November may ginhiwat nga gathering ang isa ka pamilya sa Jaro kag naginvite sang mga relatives kag iban pa nila nga friends. Nagwa may nagpositive kag pagswab tatlo dayon sa iya pamilya nalatnan niya. Sa contact trace namon naglab-ot na sa 22 ang nalatnan kag nagpositive,” he said in a phone interview on Sunday.

Conlu said the incident should serve as a lesson to Ilonggos to limit the holding of gatherings and parties especially this Holiday season as these events – especially eating and drinking – can potentially spread Covid-19.

“Amo na liwat-liwat gid kita gapanumdom sa publiko nga i-limit anay ang gatherings or parties kon may family gatherings dapat limitado lang kag mga miyembro lang sang isa ka household kay kadasig daan maglapta sang virus especially sa pagkaon kag sa imnanay,” he stressed.

The Iloilo City Covid-19 Team spokesperson has also reminded the public to practice minimum health standards and follow the guidelines of Executive Order (EO) 194 which sets the rules on the conduct of Christmas and New Year-related celebrations.

The EO discouraged the holding of work- and other non-family related gatherings and parties.

Intimate gatherings are allowed if the attendees are limited to members of the family living in the same household.

Families who do not live in the same household who wish to get together for Christmas or New Year are encouraged to hold their gatherings in outdoor venues and with proper observance of physical distancing.

Attendees of gatherings should continue to be vigilant in applying standard minimum health protocols such as proper physical distancing, frequent hand washing and non-sharing of utensils.

Meanwhile, persons with any signs of flu or symptoms of COVID-19, those who have been swabbed awaiting results, those with travel history for the past five (5) days and those tagged as “close contact” of a person confirmed to have COVID-19 even if asymptomatic, must refrain from attending said Christmas/New Year parties/gatherings.

The EO also encouraged that a particular person must be assigned to serve the food to avoid multiple people touching the serving spoon and plates.

Face masks should also be worn when preparing, serving and getting food

During the gathering and while eating, the elderly, pregnant or those with comorbidities should stay in one area, while the younger ones or those who have high levels of exposure should stay in another, the EO furthered.

As of 12 noon of Sunday, Iloilo City has recorded 3 new additional cases involving a 70-year-old male from Tabuc Suba Jaro; a 30-year-old female from Oñate De Leon in Mandurriao; and a 51-year-old female from Calaparan, Arevalo. (ERS)

Conlu said Mayor Jerry Treñas also issued a directive to barangay officials to monitor and discourage family gatherings in their jurisdictions.

“All we ask of our residents is to do away with large gatherings. They can still hold parties if they belong to the same household but we discourage parties involving their relatives from other areas because of the risk of spreading the infection. Let’s wait for the situation to normalize. We can wait until next year but not for now because of the pandemic,” he said.

Conlus said if cases continue to surge this month, heavy quarantine restrictions will remain to the detriment of the local economy.

Iloilo City remains under general community quarantine in the entire month of December 2020 despite suppressing new infections in November.

“We also want to open up and gradually return to normalcy and restart the economy. But that will not happen soon if we become lackadaisical or, worse, negligent just because we want to have fun. Let’s wait and sacrifice for now. We ask for everyone’s cooperation on this matter,” Conlu said. (FAA and ERS)