Leyte tallies 200 coronavirus patients in 2 weeks: Ormoc mayor

Leyte's 80-day streak of keeping the province free of coronavirus cases was broken 2 weeks ago when residents stranded in other areas started returning after lockdowns eased, Ormoc Mayor Richard Gomez said Friday. 

The Visayas province so far tallied some 200 patients with the respiratory disease, all from Metro Manila and Cebu. Of this number, 42 patients are currently quarantined in Ormoc, including a 2-year-old who caught the disease from parents, he said. 

The Ormoc patients are all asymptomatic. They are staying either at a hotel or a housing facility converted into a quarantine site. They will be transferred to a hospital if they develop severe symptoms, Gomez, said. 

Police in other areas need to coordinate with Ormoc officials before issuing travel authority to those who want to go to the city, which can only accept a maximum of 50 returnees a day, said Gomez.

Authorities in full safety gear fetch returnees from the airport or pier and bring them to the quarantine area for coronavirus testing.

"There's no problem with us accepting people from our city because they really live here but allow us to know if they are COVID positive or not," said Gomez. 

"Ang hirap 'pag pumasok dito at hindi mo alam, nakapunta na sa barangay nila, puwedeng magkalat ng infection." 

(It's difficult if they enter the city and we don't know, they can go to their villages and spread the infection there.) 

Ormoc has spent P700 million for its pandemic response, he said. 

ANC, June 19, 2020