The city government here has started on Wednesday the second wave of relief operations, distributing fish and live chickens to families affected by the restrictive community quarantine.

Mayor Alfred Romualdez said it is important that people consume nutritious food to boost overall health as the world battles against a faceless enemy, the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

“Let us go back to basic and strengthen ourselves. We must be fortunate that we have this in the province. We provide healthier food options to the people while helping our local producers and suppliers,” he told reporters.

The city government has initially purchased around 5,000 live chickens and 5,000 kilograms of fish from local producers.

Romualdez said they also bought 60 hogs from Southern Leyte which will also be distributed in the next days.

“We will also be sourcing out vegetables and root crops from our local producers. This will not only boost our health but also protect our environment,” he said, citing that consuming canned goods generates more solid waste.

As of April 7, some 106,653 families affected by quarantine measures here have received the initial batches of relief goods from the city government.

Romualdez also announced on Wednesday afternoon that the restrictive community quarantine in the city will be extended until April 30.

“We are also moving it just like in Luzon. If we open our borders earlier than any other region, then people will come here and crowd the city again. That’s the problem,” he said.

The directive took effect on March 21 and scheduled to end on April 12, prohibiting entry of non-residents and temporarily close non-essential business establishments.

Meanwhile, the city remains free of the virus, according to the Department of Health.

As of April 8, the city had 18 patients under investigation (PUIs) for Covid-19 and 38 persons under monitoring (PUMs).

At least 24 PUIs here have already recovered and 1,943 PUMs have been cleared after completing the 14-day isolation period. (PNA)