“Cases are going down and the positivity rate is at its lowest,” said Councilor Joel Garganera, who is also the EOC deputy chief implementer.
On March 26, 2022, the controversial “Arat na Cebu!’” concert had some health officials worrying that it could be a superspreader event as thousands showed up at the Cebu City Sports Center to join the activity.
A day earlier, on March 25, candidates seeking local elective positions in the May elections also kicked off the 45-day campaign period with meet-and-greet activities and other sorties gathering large crowds.
As of Saturday, April 9, Garganera said Cebu City logged only five new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of active cases to 48.
Garganera also reported that 53 out of the 80 barangays in the city have no reported Covid-19 transmission.
Data from the EOC showed that the daily positivity rate in Cebu City was only at 0.20 percent as of April 7, with only one new case recorded out of 495 individuals who were tested for the virus. This is below the 0.65 percent positivity rate and the 113 active Covid-19 cases last March 26.
That day, only four individuals tested positive for Covid-19 out of the 613 who were tested on the same day.
Earlier, Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, chief pathologist of the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH 7), described the “Arat na Cebu!” event as something that could be a Covid-19 “superspreader” as it brought in about 100,000 people inside and outside the venue.
Despite the Alert Level 1 status in the city, Loreche said the huge crowd was worrisome in a way, more so if the concertgoers did not wear their masks properly while others were still unvaccinated against Covid-19.
However, on Friday, April 8, 2022, Central Visayas reported only 10 new Covid-19 cases, three of which were reported in Cebu City and seven in Cebu Province, according to the DOH 7 Covid-19 case bulletin. Cebu Province comprises 44 towns and six component cities.
Over the 14-day period from March 26 to April 8, only 165 new Covid-19 cases were reported in the whole Cebu island, of which 77 were from Cebu Province, 69 from Cebu City, 15 from Mandaue City and four from Lapu-Lapu City, the DOH 7 reports showed.
Garganera said there is no place for complacency amid the Covid-19 pandemic, stressing that people will be safe as long as they are vaccinated, they wear their face masks properly and they stay in well-ventilated places.
“Gatherings these days are inevitable, but protecting ourselves is always our responsibility to our family and our community,” he said.
From Feb. 24, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has also reopened the city and economy to all activities, shifting his policy to living with the new normal. After two years, he has also allowed in-person Holy Week activities. (with CTL)