Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo is not keen on lockdown with only one case positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) here, with the patient being a resident of Tayasan, Negros Oriental.

The mayor expressed his opinion during a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Thursday at the city hall.

Remollo said instead of a lockdown, everybody should stay away from big crowds, especially inside rooms where there is a big concentration of people.

A Philippine style lockdown may be imposed but 100-percent enforcement is not possible for lack of personnel to strictly enforce the same, he said.

Hospitals in Dumaguete have also clarified there is no lockdown in their respective facilities and that they are merely instituting containment protocols even before the first positive case of Covid-19 in Negros Oriental was confirmed by the Department of Health (DOH).

Dr. Kenneth Coo, medical director of Holy Child Hospital and part of the Inter-Agency Task Force in Dumaguete City, spoke in behalf of Silliman University Medical Center Foundation Inc. (SUMCFI) that as soon as the first Covid-19 positive case arrived, the intensive care unit of the hospital was already contained and nurses were advised not to go home to reduce the possibility of the spread of the virus.

Jessica Estrellado and Unito Bondad, point persons of Covid-19 at SUMCFI, categorically declared there is no lockdown in the hospital but only a hospital-imposed quarantine for staff and health workers detailed at the intensive care unit.

As a result of the self-imposed quarantine, SUMCFI is operating on a “low level” operation, but the DOH has issued directives to admit only patients who require emergency admissions and can be discharged immediately when they are in stable condition, Bondad said.

The hallway of the isolation room is being utilized for the 23 personnel under observation.

Meanwhile, Coo disclosed hospitals are to implement a “no visitor” policy to refuse entry of unnecessary visitors or watchers.

Medical officials have called on everybody to practice regular handwashing, the use of alcohol and hand sanitizers, wearing a mask when having symptoms like cough and cold, covering the mouth when sneezing, and social distancing, among others.

The people are also urged to seek immediate medical attention when upper respiratory symptoms manifest.

Remollo enjoined everybody to help prevent community spread of the virus, noting that Dumaguete is still blessed with no single case of Covid-19, except for the 62-year old male from Tayasan who tested positive for the virus. (PNA)