Seven households in Panglao ended up under lockdown after some of their members unknowingly attended a birthday party with a coronavirus disease (COVID) 2019-positive nurse who allegedly broke quarantine protocol to be there.
According to Panglao Mayor Leonila Montero, she ordered the lockdown of seven houses whose residents were traced to have attended the birthday party of the COVID-19 patient’s mother in Purok 2 of Barangay Bil-isan.
The seven houses approximately have over 30 members in total.
Montero said the lockdown was implemented on Sunday after they found out that the health worker tested positive for the disease on Friday.
“Kining pito ka balay mao ra ang gi-lockdown nato with a radius of 50 meters from their residences, duna tay mga police line gibutang aron dili ni sila makagawas ug dili masudlan. Naa pud ang atong mga barangay tanod,” said Montero.
Swab samples have been taken from those traced to have been in contact with the health worker and they will remain under lockdown until results of their testing will yield negative results.
According to Montero, the health worker also went to a gasoline station and a friend’s house in Barangay Doljo, Panglao.
Individuals in those places were also quarantined and tested.
It was also found out that the health worker has been in Panglao on June 1, 5 and 6.
The medical frontliner was among those pinpointed to have been in contact with a COVID-19 patient at the Ace Medical Center who was confirmed to have contracted the disease on June 4.
The hospital worker tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday but was supposed to be under quarantine due to his contact with a patient infected with the disease.
Montero noted that although the health worker and his family are residents of Tagbilaran City, they have been living in Panglao where his mother, who is a traffic enforcer in Tagbilaran City, and her fiancé are residing.
“I know that he knows as a nurse na hing take care ni siya sa pasyente na na-COVID positive…usa sa kakuwangan sa atong mga health protocol kana unta sila gi-caution na dili mogawas while nahibaw-an na na-COVID ilang pasyente,” Montero said.
Montero said that she was unaware how the nurse was able to leave ACE Medical Center.
ACE had earlier assured the public that it placed under quarantine all members of its medical staff who were in contact with the COVID-19 patient.
Meanwhile, Tagbilaran City Mayor Baba Yap said that the health worker broke protocol and “escaped” from hospital quarantine to attend the birthday party, then went back to the hospital after the celebration.
He said that the city’s legal department was looking into possible charges that may be filed against the health worker. (A. Doydora)