Five Cauayan councilors and six of their staff have tested positive for COVID-19, Cauayan Mayor John Rey Tabujara said Wednesday, April 14.
They are all asymptomatic, he said.
The Cauayan Municipal Hall will be closed this week for disinfection, and employees will work from home, he said.
On Tuesday, the town had 127 COVID-19 cases.
He said the surge in cases occurred after a Cauayan resident who attended a cockfight in Andulauan, Ilog, tested positive for COVID-19.
This led to contact tracing and massive testing for the virus, he said.
Two sitios were also locked down to prevent the spread the virus in Cauayan. This has affected 115 families in Sitio Tuod, Barangay Isio, and 70 families in Sitio Mangga, Barangay Guiljungan.
The mayor said contact tracing is ongoing, he said.
Negros Occidental had 174 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, a report from the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital molecular laboratory showed.
The 174 does not include reports from other molecular laboratories yet, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.*