The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) on Monday urged residents here to avoid holding crowd-drawing events that might cause transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, designated overseer on Covid-19 responses in Cebu, pointed out in a press briefing with Mayor Edgardo Labella the need to address the cause of rising coronavirus cases here and possible actions to address the concerns.

“I am very happy to inform you that the IATF-Cebu find out what causes (the spike) what actions we will undertake especially the commitment of the IATF to improve its policies and introduce some policies that (were) not included before,” Cimatu said.

The chief of the IATF-Cebu’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), Councilor Joel Garganera, said “there are too much gatherings like parties, drinking and eating spree and other gatherings”.

Garganera said the gatherings monitored by the EOC are seen to be one of the causes of viral transmission, aside from a spike in cases in the workplace as many establishments required their workers to undergo swab test.

Cimatu came back to Cebu after the reported rise in Covid-19 cases. The capital city logged 59 new cases on Saturday and 30 on Sunday.

The total coronavirus disease cases here as of Sunday night was 292 which is a 47.3-percent increase from the 154 cases on Nov. 1.

The Department of Health-Central Visayas data as of Sunday night showed that the city has 9,494 total reported recoveries, which is 90.7 percent from the total Covid-19 cases recorded here since the start of the health crisis.

Although Labella said the situation is manageable, he urged residents not to be complacent in observing the minimum health standards and in avoiding activities that could create mass gathering.

“Again and again, I am appealing to our fellow Cebuanos not to lower our guards, that the virus is still very much around,” Labella said, adding that the city is implementing measures to lessen the number of cases in the city.

On Monday, the mayor reimplemented the strict control on people entering the borders with the city. This has created monstrous traffic, but Labella said the people have to bear with the effects of the first day of strict border checkpoints.

The mayor said the EOC has already conducted measures to contain the new Covid-19 cases and the doctors in the center have conducted contact tracing.

Garganera, however, said hospitals here “are very much vacant” although some of the asymptomatic patients prefer to be confined along with non-Covid patients who experienced coronavirus-like symptoms. (PNA)