March 19, 2024

The Municipal Inter-Agency Task Force of La Trinidad, Benguet has ordered a three-day lockdown of the municipal hall after 19 employees tested positive for Covid-19.
The town hall lockdown took effect from Feb. 24 to 26 but it was extended on weekend pending swab results and disinfection of the various offices.
The business one-stop shop and the issuance of travel authority were also put on hold until further notice.
There would be no penalty for clients paying for business permit renewal when town hall reopens.
Mayor Romeo Salda said the employees who contracted the infection are under the Municipal Planning and Development Office, Engineering Office, and Business Permits and Licensing Section and are now under quarantine as the local government awaits for the test results of other employees. Contact tracing are also being conducted. 
Salda said they have already scheduled the swab test of 250 employees and 103 job orders as part of the town’s mass testing program.
“The municipal officials were earlier tested and none of them yielded a positive result. We have scheduled the testing of all our employees to see if it is local transmission or inter-office transmission,” Salda said. 
As of Feb. 21, Benguet is classified under low epidemic risk after cases decreased in the recent two weeks.
La Trinidad, Itogon, Kabayan, Kapangan, Kibungan, Tuba, and Tublay are under low risk while Atok, Buguias, and Sablan under high risk.
Bakun and Mankayan are under moderate risk and Bokod under minimal risk. – Ofelia C. Empian