SIBUNAG, Guimaras – Barangay Alegria here has eight active cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The index case – detected on March 18 – was a male resident who was one of the close contacts of a COVID-19 case in the municipality of Jordan, said Mayor Annabelle Samaniego.
The seven other cases were the man’s wife, their two children and a house help, the barangay captain, barangay councilman and barangay secretary.
The three barangay officials got the disease because the index case – before he knew he had COVID-19 – visited the barangay hall.
Samaniego placed the index case’s household and the barangay hall on lockdown beginning March 18 to prevent further COVID-19 transmission.
She also ordered extensive contact tracing and the decontamination of the barangay hall which may reopen to the public today, March 22.
All the eight COVID-19 cases were asymptomatic or not exhibiting symptoms such as fever and cough.
Residents of Barangay Alegria should limit their movements for the time being because contact tracing is still ongoing, according to Samaniego.
She also reminded them to faithfully observe health protocols – physical distancing, wearing of facemask and face shield, and proper hand washing.
Situated southeast of Guimaras Island facing Negros and is separated from that island by Guimaras Strait, Sibunag is composed of 14 barangays.
Its population as determined by the 2015 Census was 22,158. This represented 12.69 percent of the total population of Guimaras province, or 0.29 percent of the overall population of Western Visayas./PN
