Cainta mayor gives protective gear to neighbors of 5th COVID-19 case

Cainta Mayor Kit Nieto on Saturday said he gave protective equipment against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to the neighbors of the fifth case in the country.

In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Nieto said he went around houses in a subdivision in Cainta as a precautionary measure against the spread of the virus.

"Inikot ko lang po lahat 'yung mga bahay sa paligid ng bahay ng pasyente at binigyan sila ng karampatang proteksyon tulad ng mga mask, mga Lysol, para i-disinfect nila 'yung mga lugar," Nieto said.

"'Yung posibilidad lang kasi na may virus pang nandoon sa lugar, at least mapatay man lang o ma-prevent na makuha nila," he added.

However, Nieto observed that the neighbors may not have come in contact with the patient.

"[P]arang lumalabas naman kasi na wala talaga silang contact doon sa pasyente. Kasi doon sa subdivision, may kanya-kanya namang mga bahay. Hindi naman sila talaga 'yung mga tipo ng tao na lumalabas at nakikipagkuwento," Nieto said.

Despite this, the mayor said they will be monitoring the neighbors for symptoms.

"Just to appease them and to give them peace of mind, we provided all the necessary materials just to protect them. And anyone in that village who wishes to avail of the stuff that we prepared for them [...] they're all free to see the homeowner's office," he later added.

The fifth confirmed case is a 62-year-old man with no travel history outside the country.

The Department of Health confirmed on Saturday that the said patient is the first local transmission of the virus.

Health authorities also announced that his wife—a 58-year-old woman—is the sixth confirmed COVID-19 case in the Philippines. —Joahna Lei Casilao/KG, GMA News