The City Council declared the city under a state of calamity in the wake of the nationwide alert on the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV).

The local legislative body issued the calamity declaration through a resolution passed during its regular session on Tuesday afternoon to strengthen the city’s prevention and control mechanisms against the disease.

City Councilor Franklin Gacal Jr., author of the resolution, said the move is mainly in response to a directive from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) that mandates local government units to adopt stringent measures to prevent the entry as well contain possible cases of the 2019-nCoV.

Gacal specifically cited the provisions of Memorandum Circular 2020-18 issued by DILG Secretary Eduardo Año last Saturday, Feb. 1. The council also took into consideration the World Health Organization’s declaration of a global health emergency due to the spread of the 2019-nCoV, which was first reported in Wuhan, China.

Gacal said the recent confirmation by the Department of Health of two positive cases in the country is very alarming, considering that there are already 80 persons under investigation for the disease.

The City Health Office confirmed that it is monitoring a Chinese national who traveled last month to Wuhan City in China.

The male foreigner, a businessman who has long been staying in the city, is currently undergoing self-quarantine and has not so far showed any symptoms of the disease. He reportedly traveled to Wuhan for the Chinese New Year holidays and arrived in the city on January 23.

Gacal noted that the city is currently at risk of the disease as it has direct flights to Cebu and some local residents have recently traveled to the area and possibly even Dumaguete City, which was previously visited by the patients that turned positive of the 2019-nCoV.

“It is the mandated duty of the local government under the general welfare clause and its police power to ensure the safety and protect the health of its (constituents),” the councilor said.

In line with the calamity declaration, Gacal said they approved the release of some PHP10 million from the city’s Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund for the establishment of an isolation facility and the purchase of supplies, necessary materials and medicine to combat possible cases of 2019-nCoV.

They also authorized Mayor Ronnel Rivera to assist and extend financial help to possible 2019-nCoV patients that would be admitted to private hospitals, he added. (PNA)