For the first time in months, the Quezon City government reports less than one thousand active cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

In the latest report of the Quezon City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (CESU) as of October 31, 2020, the active cases is now at 996, while recoveries are now at 21,032 or 93% of the total validated cases in the city.

The lower active case count is attributed to the guidelines set by the Department of Health which identifies and tags patients with mild or no symptoms as recovered 14 days from the onset of symptoms.

“After months of having thousands of active cases on our watch, we are now experiencing a decline in active cases. As our partner OCTA Research Group has been noting for the past month, the trend in our city is going down,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said.

Joseph Juico, Head of QC Task Force on COVID-19, also acknowledged the contribution of all barangay offices in controlling the spread of the virus.

“Aside from the hard work of our CESU and their continued surveillance of communities, our district health offices, and barangay offices also played an important role in lowering the active case count as they are strictly monitoring the cases in their respective areas,” Juico said.

Mayor Belmonte stresses that the city will not lower its guards against COVID-19 especially with the holidays coming up.

“While the economy is slowly going back to normal and the holidays around the corner, we will continue to do our part in mitigating the spread of the virus. But I also urge our residents to be vigilant and protective not just for themselves but for other people as well, especially their loved ones.”

The city government reminds its residents to continue to practice basic health protocols such as wearing masks, social distancing, regular washing of hands, and refrain from mass gathering. Residents are also advised to celebrate through online gatherings or by-schedule celebrations.

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