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DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 28 April) – Mayor Sara Duterte said local health authorities feared that allowing the Dabawenyos who have been stranded in various parts of the country since the lockdown last March 15 to come home would result in another wave of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in the city.
Duterte said during the Davao City Disaster Radio 87.5 on Monday that epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists have already turned down the idea of letting the stranded Dabawenyos to return home since they are possible carriers of the highly contagious disease.
She added that the city’s isolation centers could not accommodate an estimated number of 1,200 stranded individuals.
The mayor said isolation centers of the city currently have a combined number of 416 beds, but added they are planning to put up more to reach the target of 1,000 beds in preparation for the influx of stranded Dabawenyos once the lockdown is lifted.
“That’s what the doctors have been telling us. When they enter here, it is expected that there will be a new wave of infection, so we need to prepare. That’s what we are doing every day,” she said.
Duterte said the city government has created a team tasked to build the database for the stranded individuals and to attend to their needs, which include the assistance provided by the local government here.
She said the team is also validating identities of the stranded individuals, who are reaching out to the local government directly.
The mayor said the team is also assisting residents of other provinces and cities who are stranded here.
She said the team is coordinating with Davao Oriental and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to bring their stranded residents back to their hometowns. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)