Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas could not contain his emotions as he called on City Hall employees on Monday to continue seeking Divine intervention amid the battle against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

Treñas said they should be thankful that the number of cases here is not as high as those in Metro Manila that health personnel have asked for a “timeout” so they could take a breather.

He, however, observed a rise in cases in the city last week.

“They are not LSIs (locally stranded individuals). This is local transmission. Let us always be on the alert,” Treñas said, reminding everyone to always assume that the person beside him or her is asymptomatic.

One employee tested positive for Covid-19 after mass testing was implemented among City Hall employees last week.

He said the City Hall was disinfected on Thursday and as an additional measure, he has instructed the city legal office and the human resource and management office to prepare a memorandum for city government employees 55 years old and above, except for department and assistant department heads, to work from home.

“We cannot really say that this is over. That is the reason we will try our best to protect our vulnerable employees,” Treñas said in his message during the regular flag-raising ceremony.

He noted that the City Hall, which is always full of people, could be a breed ground for the virus.

“We cannot be for certain that the people coming at the City Hall are safe,” Treñas said.

Towards the end of his message, he shed tears as he led City Hall employees in praying The Lord’s Prayer, which he ended by saying, “Father, heal our land.”

As of August 2, Iloilo City had 100 confirmed local cases and 80 cases among LSIs, returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs), and authorized persons outside of residence (APOR), according to the situation report released by the Iloilo City Emergency Operations Center.

Among the local cases, 42 have recovered, 16 are confined in hospitals, 15 are on home quarantine, 22 on facility quarantine, and five have died.

Of the 80 repatriates, LSIs, and APOR, 33 are facility-quarantined and 47 have recovered.

The city government placed the Iloilo Fishing Port Complex in Tanza, City Proper on a 72-hour lockdown starting August 2 to give way to the conduct of disinfection and contact tracing.

Two confirmed Covid-19 cases were traced to be working at the fish port, and one has died.

The Provincial Capitol also suspended office on August 3-4 to give way to disinfection after one of its employees, a resident of this city, tested positive for the disease. (PNA)