MANILA - The Department of Health will test evacuees in Tuguegarao City for coronavirus, its mayor said Tuesday in the aftermath of Typhoon Ulysses as the pandemic persisted.

The province has recorded 477 COVID-19 cases since March and has 118 active cases and 5 deaths, Mayor Jefferson Soriano said.

Some 3,500 residents will be tested, with evacuees showing COVID-19 symptoms to be prioritized, he added.

"Three days po ito, nagvolunteer ako na mauuna ako para mahikayat namin 'yung iba," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

(This will be conducted for 3 days. I volunteered to go first so we can encourage others.)

The city has undergone strict lockdown thrice due to spike of virus cases from community transmissions, Soriano said.

At least 5 evacuees have tested positive for the coronavirus in Marikina, which was also submerged in record-high floods due to Ulysses.

• 5 typhoon evacuees in Marikina test positive for COVID-19: mayor

The Philippines as of Monday reported 420,614 COVID-19 cases, with 386,604 recoveries, 8,173 deaths, and 25,837 active infections.

• COVID-19 cases in PH breach 420,000; daily tallies ‘plateau’ below 2,000 for 2 weeks now