Over 50 vendors tested positive for COVID-19 in Santiago City

Santiago City’s New Public Market in Isabela was temporarily closed this Monday after some vendors and traders tested positive for COVID-19.

According to Dr. Genaro Manalo, the city’s health officer, recorded more than 30 new COVID-19 cases today.

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This is in addition to the 20 cases recorded this Sunday.

“May nag-positive kasi na tatlo dun sa arcade. So, ang ginawa namin, minass testing namin lahat. May nahuli kaming 20 nga. Tapos sa may mini mart, mayroon din kaming tinest dun na 100. May lumabas na 30 plus,” Manalo said.

(There are three who are positive in the arcade. So, what we did, we conducted mass testing. We caught 20 already. Then there is the mini-mart. We also have tested 100 people. There is 30 plus who were positive.)

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“Dumarami ang cases. Pero, ibig sabihin, nakuha namin lahat. Hindi yung bigla na lang lumabas na hindi namin alam. Mas maganda na yung nakuha namin lahat, na-trace namin yung magkakasama. Local transmission na, kasi naghalu-halubilo na sila eh. Naiko-connect pa naman namin sila hanggang ngayon,” he added.

(Cases are increasing. But, I mean, we got it all. It wasn’t the one that suddenly came out that we didn’t know. It was better that we all got it. We traced clustered cases. We have a local transmission because they are already interacting. We are still able to connect with them until now.)

Over 50 vendors tested positive for COVID-19 in Santiago City

Mass testing was conducted on traders at the New Public Market after the three vendors first tested positive in the arcade building.

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Some of the patients are already in the quarantine facility, while others are self-isolated in their homes because they are asymptomatic or have no symptoms.

Contact-tracing is in full swing among those who have tested positive for COVID-19.

The lockdown on the New Public Market for disinfection has also been extended for three days until December 10.

The Old Public Market and other shops in the city are open.

But residents and business people are being asked to follow safety health protocols, such as wearing a facemask and face shield and following physical distancing.

So far, there are more than 60 active cases of COVID-19 in the city of Santiago.

The total number of cases reached more than 270, of which 209 recovered while one died.