Authorities in Negros Oriental were able to trace all 82 individuals who had contact with the two Chinese nationals confirmed to have contracted the 2019 novel coronavirus.

In a radio interview on Sunday, Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo said of the 82 persons, eight were considered as patients under investigation (PUIs) but four of them were already tested negative from the virus.

“We were able to trace all of them. A total of 82 were suspected to have contact with the two Chinese who went here in our province,” Degamo said.

He said they were still waiting for the result of the tests of the other PUIs.

“Hopefully, no one was affected so that we can declare our province clear from this virus,” he said.

The governor said CCTV system in Dumaguete City helped them in tracing the Chinese couple.

Degamo thanked the residents, the health workers, and the police for the successful contact tracing.

He said the situation in the province is now back to normal.

“There was tension at first but now the people are now back to normal,” Degamo said.

One of the Chinese couple, the 44-year old man, died while being treated in a government hospital in Manila. He was the first nCoV-related death outside China. The female Chinese, on the other hand, is currently recuperating.

To date, the Department of Health said there were three confirmed cases of nCoV in the country while 281 were PUIs. Ella Dionisio/DMS