COVID-19

Coronavirus-free for 6 months, Siquijor reports first 2 cases

Ryan Macasero

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Coronavirus-free for 6 months, Siquijor reports first 2 cases
The 2 patients are among the thousands of locally stranded individuals who returned to their home provinces through the government's Hatid Tulong program

Two residents of Siquijor Island tested positive for the coronavirus disease, breaking the province’s COVID-19- free streak since the Philippines recorded its first cases in late January.

The 2 cases traveled from Metro Manila to Siquijor through the Hatid Tulong program, the government’s repatriation initiative for locally stranded individuals. (READ: Modern Day Exodus)

The Department of Health announced one case at around 9:30 pm Saturday evening, while the Siquijor local government confirmed 2 cases in a memo published on its official Facebook page at around 1 am on Sunday. 

“This happened despite our best efforts to enforce strict health protocols,” Siquijor Governor Zaldy Villa said in a statement in Cebuano. “One patient is from Lazi and one is from Larena. Both came from Manila,” Villa added.

The governor emphasized that there has been no instance of local transmission so far. The 2 patients are currently isolated.

Siquijor is the smallest province in the Central Visayas, about an hour away by ferry from Dumaguete City.

Siquijor was among the provinces in the country that managed to stave off the virus since late January.

As of Saturday, August 1, Central Visayas has 16,496 coronavirus cases. Majority of the cases are on Cebu island with 16,302 cases.  There have so far been 9,575 recoveries and 851 deaths. 

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases nationwide is expected to hit 100,000 on Sunday after the country recorded 98,232 cases as of Saturday evening. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!
Nobuhiko Matsunaka

author

Ryan Macasero

Ryan covers social welfare for Rappler. He started at Rappler as social media producer in 2013, and later took on various roles for the company: editor for the #BalikBayan section, correspondent in Cebu, and general assignments reporter in the Visayas region. He graduated from California State University, East Bay, with a degree in international studies and a minor in political science. Outside of work, Ryan performs spoken word poetry and loves attending local music gigs. Follow him on Twitter @ryanmacasero or drop him leads for stories at ryan.macasero@rappler.com