BY ANTONIO L. COLINA IV
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DAVAO CITY – The six latest confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Davao City have visited Agdao Public Market, prompting the city government of Davao to shut down the wet market for seven days to conduct disinfection and initiate health screening on vendors and other workers.
Mayor Sara Duterte said during her live interview over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR 87.5) that at least 300 vendors had undergone the health screening initiated by the City Health Office in consultation with epidemiologists to detect who among them might have contracted the highly contagious disease.
The health screening included the rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and a random “swabbing” for the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, considered as the gold standard in the detection of the COVID-19 positives.
“We closed our public market because we have six confirmed positives, and we’ve noticed in their patient history, they have exposure to Agdao Public Market. It’s a common thing to all six of them,” she said.
She said the wet market was closed starting 5 p.m. last Saturday.
She added she would consult the epidemiologists if the local government could reopen the market or extend the closure for another seven days.
She said vendors also received food packs from the City Social Welfare and Development Office.
The Barangay Agdao is classified as among the seven high-risk barangays in the city. The six others are Barangay 23-C, Bucana, Buhangin Proper, Cabantian, Leon Garcia, and Talomo.
