No place in the Philippines can be spared from the SARS-CoV2, even the remotest areas.
This should keep the public on their toes by consistently observing minimum health protocols Kapangan, Benguet Mayor Manny Fermin reminded.
Fermin said the public must not be complacent as what happened in one of their remote villages, wherein most residences are not even situated near each other but have contracted the Covid-19.
As of Jan. 19, Kapangan was listed as the top high-risk area in the province after 44 residents of Barangay Gadang were tested positive for Covid-19. Forty-eight percent of those infected are children and senior citizens.
“Their concept is they are so far away and safe but they forgot that some of them go out of the sitios,” the mayor said.
Fermin said it was shown in a closed-circuit television camera footage that residents chat with each other and go out of their homes without wearing face masks and face shields.
“Nakita sa CCTV camera sa isang coop na most of the customers were not wearing masks, ‘yun ang isang problema. Sa simbahan nila, there are times na nalilimutan nila ang social distancing,” he said.
Fermin said complacency made residents vulnerable to the virus and called on his townmates to always observe health protocols especially when going to a public place.
“Even if Gadang is far and there are few people, residents should wear face masks so that they are protected. Same for the other villages in Kapangan.”
He also called on the public to avoid places where people converge.
The mayor said based on their investigation of some cases, the cases in Gadang started when a resident of another place visited a sick relative in the barangay. During the person’s stay, they organized a gathering as part of the culture. The visitor also went to the house of other relatives, and attended a mass and several meetings with senior citizens.
Those who turned positive for Covid-19 are close contacts or have attended the activities of the visitor.
The mayor said he ordered a lockdown in the entire village for contact tracing.
He said they have already contained the virus but expressed hope the incident will serve as a lesson to others who disregard health and safety protocols. – PNA
April 25, 2024
