DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 04 January) – The Davao City Health Office (CHO) confirmed Monday that three priests and a seminarian of the St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Barangay Ma-a here have tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), prompting the local government to put the parish in a two-week lockdown effective January 2.
Ashley Lopez, Davao City Health COVID-19 focal person, said in a text message that local health authorities have already completed the contact-tracing of persons who have direct interaction with the patients.
Lopez did not divulge how many persons have been traced, but said all of them will undergo a swab test on Tuesday.
He did not discuss how the patients were exposed to COVID-19.
On its Facebook page, the parish posted: “The St. Francis of Assisi Parish-Ma-a, upon the recommendation of the City Health Office, is suspending all its operation, including all liturgical celebrations, beginning today, January 2, 2021, until further notice.”
Amid the rising COVID-19 cases here, the city reverted to the general community quarantine (GCQ) status from modified GCQ last November 20. The GCQ has been extended until January 31, 2021.
As of January 3, the Department of Health (DOH)-Davao Region recorded 12,785 total COVID-19 cases, with 1,645 active, 10,620 recoveries and 520 deaths.
Of the total cases, Davao City reported 8,951, Davao de Oro with 610, Davao del Norte with 1,615, Davao del Sur with 918, Davao Occidental with 127 and Davao Oriental with 564.