) – December 15, 2020 – 12:00am
CEBU, Philippines — Although the number of cases is getting lower, the Cebu City Emergency Operations Center is not letting its guard down to prevent another spike in COVID-19 infections during the Christmas holidays.
EOC deputy chief implementer and City Councilor Joel Garganera said he met with the barangay officials over the weekend and discussed some matters in relation to the Christmas season.
Garganera said the barangay officials have to ensure that no large gatherings are allowed and minimum health protocols are observed by the community at all times. In EOC’s latest monitoring, at least 22 out of 80 barangays in Cebu City are still with active cases, 58 have already registered zero transmission in the past weeks.
Based on the EOC monitoring, the city is left with only 109 active cases as of the latest. Majority of the cases recorded on December 12 have been traced to household infection. EOC is reminding everyone to be mindful of the protocols in going out this Christmas season.
Meanwhile, Garganera has assured that hospitals in the city are in “pink shape.” This is in response to the instruction of the Department of Health for the hospitals to allocate more beds for COVID in anticipation of the possible post-Christmas surge.
Garganera said that the hospitals in Cebu City have enough beds to accommodate COVID patients if it happens.
He said the hospitals in the city only have an average of 18-20% occupancy at present.
“We’re pretty much in a pink shape (as far as hospitals are concerned).We average between 18-20 % occupancy, that’s relatively on the safe zone. Same as our first and second level isolation/quarantine centers, mingaw gyud purya buyag,” said Garganera.
The EOC, however, has refused to be complacent. Garganera said he is also meeting the management of some establishments to make sure that protocols are observed and problems are addressed.
These include traffic, health protocol compliance, and coordination with the barangays, the police and the Cebu City Transportation Office.
On Thursday, EOC will also meet with the administrators of supermarkets and public markets to remind them of the protocols especially with the possible influx of people during the holiday season. — FPL (FREEMAN)