About 87 families in Purok 4B in Barangay Gusa will be placed under focused containment/localized quarantine after one of its residents tested positive for COVID-19, city health officials confirmed Monday noon (Aug. 24).

“Based on our survey of the area, this (won´t be as problematic in securing compared to other sites) and we designated the quarantine control checkpoints based on the recommendation of the City Health Office (CHO) early this morning. Food aid will also be delivered to each of the households later this afternoon,” said Nic Jabagat, acting chief of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Department (CDRRMD) during Monday noon´s press briefing.

The COVID-19 positive case who resides in the area is a 28-year-old male employee of a major company which made it mandatory for their employees in Cagayan de Oro City and the rest of the country to undergo tests. City Health Office (CHO) resident epidemiologist Dr. Teodulfo Joselito Retuya said the employee underwent swab sample on Aug. 18 after experiencing mild symptoms and the test came out positive two days later.

“It would strain the city´s resources if company employees would be quarantined in the city´s isolation units so we ask these major private companies to set up their own isolation facility to house their employees,” Mayor Oscar Moreno said. As per usual procedure, Mayor Moreno said he will seek concurrence from the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF) on issuing the executive order to place Purok 4B under localized containment.

The 19th City Council already issued standing authorization to Mayor Moreno to place any area in Cagayan de Oro City under localized containment upon the CHO´s recommendation.

“The barangay health personnel stationed at the quarantine area control checkpoints were issued thermal guns to conduct temperature checks on the residents in the area,” Dr. Retuya said.