Cebu-based journalist Dale Israel contributed to this report
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 17) — The Department of Health said it did not order the stop of COVID-19 testing in a dense sub-village in Cebu City, where 135 residents are infected.
“Hindi po totoo na hindi na itetest ang mga tao dito po sa ating Sitio Zapatera dahil sinasabi na nga pong may community transmission,” said Ma. Rosario Vergeire, Health spokesperson in the DOH daily online briefing on Friday. “Dahil po sa expanded testing, magtetesting pa rin po sila dito.”
[Translation: It is not true that we will no longer test the residents of Sitio Zapatera because there is community transmission. Because we have expanded testing; they will still undergo the tests.]
Sitio Zapatera has more cases than any other area in Visayas. Cebu City in total has 161 infected residents, while Western Visayas has 45, Central Visayas has 71 and Eastern Visayas has seven cases as of Thursday.
Earlier, director Jaime Bernadas of the Department of Health in Central Visayas, said the agency sees no need to test more from the 9,000 residents in the area. He said there has been “sustained community transmission” in Sitio Zapatera since its first COVID-positive patient was detected on April 7.
Mayor Edgar Labella ordered the lockdown of Barangay Luz, where the sub-village is located, as he isolated the patients in the Barangay Luz Elementary school. Most of the cases are asymptomatic.
