DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 06 April) – None of the 60 conveners of the “Run, Sara, Run” caravan held in Metro Manila last March 21, many of whom were former and incumbent barangay officials of this city, had tested positive of COVID-19, Mayor Sara Duterte said.
During her program over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR 87.5) Monday, Duterte said the conveners, who arrived here in two batches, were subjected to reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test and quarantined at the Magallanes Elementary School, following the protocols of the Department of Health (DOH) for asymptomatic cases.
The caravan in Metro Manila, where COVID-19 cases are at a record-high, was held to urge the mayor to join the presidential derby next year to succeed her father, President Rodrigo R. Duterte, who will complete his six-year term on June 30, 2022.
She said the first batch of 43 individuals had completed the 10-day mandatory quarantine on Monday, while the rest will finish theirs either on Thursday or Friday this week.
“All of them were tested and none were tested positive of COVID-19,” she said.
Duterte said she hopes that no such political activities would happen to avoid mass gatherings that might cause the transmission of COVID-19.
“Hopefully, we will no longer see similar activities in the future, particularly political activities because they gather people. We need to catch and isolate them, use the protocol for asymptomatic cases, and, of course, test them,” she said.
Duterte released an executive order last March 29 prohibiting government officials from joining political activities.
Prohibited activities include caravan, meeting, rally, parade, program, and all other forms of political gatherings organized for the purpose of urging the mayor to run for president in 2022, she said.
As of April 5, the DOH-Davao reported 17 new cases, bringing the total number to 21,852, with 942 active ones, 20,082 recoveries, and 942 deaths in the region.
Of the total, Davao City, which reported the highest COVID-19 incidence in Mindanao, tallied 13,834 cases, with 306 active ones, 12,851 recoveries, and 677 deaths.
Davao de Oro reported 1,399 cases, Davao del Norte 3,587, Davao del Sur 1,460, Davao Occidental 220, and Davao Oriental 1,352. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)