Residents of Manila City breathed a sigh of relief after 73 barangays registered zero coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in the past two months, as they expressed hope that the pandemic will soon be over.

“God is good talaga, thank you Lord. Sana po magwakas na ang Covid para lahat di na mag-worry (God is really good, thank you Lord. I hope Covid ends soon, so everyone will stop worrying),” Arlyn Arnoco said in a post on the Facebook page of Manila Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso.

Domagoso on Monday announced that 73 barangays in the city have qualified for the PHP100,000 award for keeping their barangays Covid-19 free from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31.

The list of barangays with zero Covid-19 incidents was posted on the FB page of the Manila Public Information Office for transparency.

“Thank you, mayor, for posting the barangays that are Covid-free. I hope that Covid-19 gets defeated so that everything gets back to normal and be able to work regularly especially those families with babies,” Rose Kimberly Balindan said in her post in a mix of English and Filipino.

Manileños also recognized the importance of cooperation and following the rules.

Good leadership shown by barangay chiefs and officials alongside the strict implementation of minimum public health safety standards were seen as key strategies in achieving the goal of decimating Covid-19 in the barangay level.

Meanwhile, another city resident, George Pedrosa, said while their barangay was not included, he is still happy that at least no one died of the virus in their area.

“Hindi man pinalad ang mga barangay sa Intramuro, okay lang, mas importante sa amin ang maging tapat sa report at siguruhin ang tamang datos at impormasyo. Proud pa rin kami dahil sa buong Maynila, Intramuros lang ang walang death cases. (While the Intramuros barangay was not awarded, it’s okay, what’s important is that the data were correct and we are also proud that in all barangays in Manila, only Intramuros did not have even a single death),” he said.

On Monday, Domagoso said the city government will continue to find ways to suppress Covid-19 cases in the city.

He also thanked Manileños for the cooperation in keeping the number of infections down, adding that for the past two weeks, Manila has recorded not more than 500 new cases.

Netizen Lhery Bongon also acknowledged the efforts of front-liners.

“Salamat sa lahat ng pagsisikap at pagmamalasakit ng lahat maging ang mga frontliners mga nurse, doctors, guard, janitors at mga kawani ng lokal na pamahalaan (Thanks for the efforts and the concern of all the front-liners like nurses, doctors, guard, janitors and other employees of the local government),” he said.

Domagoso said he will not hesitate in giving incentives to barangays just to make their communities healthy. (PNA)