The Department of Health (DOH) in Central Visayas on Monday said the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) status in Cebu province is now “cause of concern”.

Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, DOH-7 chief pathologist and Covid-19 spokesperson, said residents in different towns and cities in Cebu should not be complacent now that they have active transmission of the coronavirus based on the latest case bulletin.

“Our advice to the residents in (Cebu) province, they should be mindful of the situation. They need to be able do better by implementing the minimum health standards and be encouraged to subject themselves to swab testing,” Loreche said in a virtual presser.

She said “they will never know where the Covid-19 concentration is in the province” if no aggressive testing is conducted like what the Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Cebu cities did last May.

The DOH-7 reported a total of 861 active Covid-19 cases in Cebu province with 33 new active cases on Sunday, bringing the active cases tally to 351.

The agency noted of a 76 percent (3,585 cases) recovery out of the total 4,740 cases in the province.

Melquiades Feliciano, deputy chief implementer of the Covid-19 response for the Visayas, on Monday said despite the continuing rise in the number of positive cases, they are confident the provincial government can handle the situation.

Feliciano, who is now in Western Visayas to oversee the region’s fight against coronavirus, agreed, however, that the situation in Cebu province “has become alarming”.

He said the provincial government is supporting the mayors in their efforts to curb the Covid-19 transmission in the component cities and municipalities.

“Meron man silang mga (They have) efforts to hopefully contain the coronavirus. Well, accordingly, they are engaging the municipalities (and cities) and I think kaya naman nila yan (they can handle it),” Feliciano told the Philippine News Agency in a phone interview.

He, however, suggested that the province “look into some measures in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus” and synchronize the coordination of mayors and village chiefs in addressing the crisis.

The template utilized in Cebu City such as establishing an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) which is now also being implemented in Iloilo and Bacolod, could be a good approach to curb the Covid-19 transmission in the province, Feliciano said. (PNA)