Stricter security clamps down island barangays as coronavirus disease (Covid) cases rise speedily in at least two (2) islands located in the northern part of the province.
Second district Board Member Restituto “Toting” Auxtero confirmed that additional police forces have been mobilized and sent to island barangays in Talibon to impose stricter security around the areas that are now under lockdown.
Auxtero revealed the information in a radio interview on Open Forum on Thursday, August 27,2020.
This information is corroborated by Buenavista town mayor Dave Duallo’s statements in an earlier radio interview also over Open Forum held on Wednesday, August 26, 2020. Duallo said that there have been augmentation forces coming from the Philippine National Police (PNP) for the same reasons..
Duallo also said that the augmentation forces are also deployed in other northern towns of Bohol, which are within the second district, especially in areas that have rising Covid cases.
Police provincial director Col. Joselito Clarito, for his part, also said that more police forces are sent to guard the island barangays especially the islands of Guindacpan in Talibon and Malingin in Bien Unido.
According to Auxtero, security has been tightened not just in Guindacpan, which is under lockdown, but also in all eight (8) island barangays in Talibon.
Auxtero who was asked by The Bohol Tribune on the possible source or sources of the virus that infected some island residents said that since most of the island residents rely on fish trade for livelihood, some residents may have engaged with fish trading activities with people from Cebu, which may possibly have opened the window needed for virus transmission.
He also qualified his statement by saying that he is unsure whether or not the island residents have continued with the fish trade especially with folks from Cebu, now that Covid is becoming a cause of our health crisis.
However, Auxtero continued, that it is also possible that the fish trade continued despite the sea travel ban. To circumvent the travel ban, Auxtero relayed, the people from the islands might have continued meeting people from other places in a particular area away from the eyes and scrutiny of the monitoring of authorities.
Auxtero further bared that there is also a possibility that locally stranded individuals (LSI) may have illegally entered Bohol through the islands facing Cebu. Considering this, Auxtero said, these LSIs could also be the ones who could have brought the virus to the islands. Auxtero revealed that there might have been instances in the past where LSIs who illegally entered Bohol were apprehended and placed under quarantine, Auxtero told The Bohol Tribune all these information via the program Open Forum.
In a related report, on August 20, 2020, Gov. Arthur Yap met with second district mayors from the coastal towns as he also invited second district Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado to discuss with them the rising number of Covid cases in the northern towns of Bohol.
It was in that meeting where the group resolved that there is a need to boost the security around the islands and coastal areas of the northern part of Bohol especially facing Cebu.
TALIBON MAYOR’S STATEMENT
On Wednesday, August 26, 2020, around 10 new Covid cases were recorded in Talibon town, where eight (8) of these cases are from Guindacpan Island. It was followed up with 16 new cases the following day, Thursday. August 27, 2020.
For this reason, on Thursday, Talibon mayor Janette Garcia posted an official statement via video with said statement uploaded to her official Facebook account. The mayor acknowledged that Talibon Is one of the towns with high number of Covid cases in Bohol. Based on data from the provincial government, it is saying that as of Thursday, there were 52 cases considered to be active. She said that there is already one (1) fatality due to the virus and she referred to the one who died from Guindacpan Island.
Moreover, she stated the reported Covid positive patient from Calituban Island. While the patient indicated that his address is Calituban Island, but the reported Covid-positive patient does not reside in the said island.
The mayor said that the person who tested positive for Covid is residing in barangay San Jose and lives in the place with a person who has been under quarantine and identified as a close contact of of another patient who earlier tested positive for Covid.
“So klaruhun nI nato, ang ingon nila na naa sa Calituban or ang address, Calituban, nia ni nagpuyo sa San Jose ug wala sa Calituban,” the mayor clarified.
She made the clarification to allay the fear of Calituban Island residents.
She also revealed that the Covid-positive patient from barangay San Roque is an employee of the Rural Health Unit (RHU). As a result, Garcia ordered a temporary closure of the office of the RHU to allow disinfection of the said office and for the swab tests of the close contact of the RHU employee that tested posive for Covid.
Garcia said that the RHU worker got infected in line of duty. The RHU worker has been helping in the contact tracing activities.
Garcia asked the understanding of incoming LSIs to delay their arrival into the town as the RHU is undermanned, due to the current situation where the health unit is closed.
The mayor assured the public, though, that she will announce at a later time when the RHU will be operational again. The mayor said that one the RHU shall have been operational, the LSI arrivals can be again ccommodated by the town authorities.
On the other hand, Garcia said that the local government unit has been sending relief goods to residents in Guindacpan Island. The island remains under lockdown until August 31, 2020, per directive from the Regional Inter Agency Task Force (R-IATF).
To date, around 559 families are placed under lockdown in Guindacpan Island whilie 60 families from different barangays in the town are also under lockdown. They too are given relief goods from the LGU.
Stricter security clamps down island brgys., as Covid cases rise fast
