Officials in Benguet and Mountain Province ordered a lockdown of various offices for disinfection amidst the rising number of Covid-19 cases.
In Benguet, employees of the provincial government and the public were reminded to continue to keep their guards up against the Covid-19 as cases continue to rise in the province.
Governor Melchor Diclas issued Memorandum 2022-024 suspending work of the provincial government on Jan. 21 for intensive disinfection activities at the Capitol, the Provincial Health Office at the Benguet General Hospital compound at Km. 5, and the Office of the Provincial Engineer in Wangal, due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases among personnel in the different offices.
Diclas said there are at least 50 employees of the provincial government who tested positive for Covid-19 since the start of the year and most of them are undergoing isolation while their officemates who were identified as close contacts are also undergoing quarantine.
He stressed the need to control or stop the transmission through mitigation measures such as disinfection and sanitation activities.
Regular work at the Capitol will resume on Monday, Jan. 24.
In Mankayan, the municipal hall was closed from Jan. 19 to 21 for contact tracing and disinfection purposes after several employees also tested positive for the Covid-19.
“There is a need to temporarily close down the municipal hall for thorough disinfection and sanitation of the different offices as some employees already contracted the disease while some were placed on isolation,” Mayor Frenzel Ayong stated in an advisory.
Mankayan recorded a spike in Covid-19 cases in the recent week with 20 new cases on Jan. 14, while 30 new cases were recorded on Jan. 17 and 28 new cases were added on Jan. 20.
Ayong appealed to employees and the public to adhere with the minimum public health standards and observe all the health and safety protocols and encouraged residents who are not yet vaccinated to get their shots as protection from severe effects of the Covid-19, especially with the detection of the Omicron variant in Baguio City.
Regular office operations will resume on Jan. 24.
In Barlig, Mountain Province, Mayor Clark Ngaya ordered a municipal lockdown from Jan. 17 to 23, also due to the increasing number of cases.
The Municipal Health Office reported Barlig recorded 32 cases this month with 19 cases recorded last Jan. 15.
As of Jan. 18, Barlig logged 379 cases of which 32 are active cases and 13 are Covid-19-related deaths.
With the municipal lockdown, all and travels going in and out of the municipality were suspended except for health and medical emergencies.
Movements of residents were limited to accessing essential goods and medical emergencies only.
Social and mass gatherings were also suspended while business establishments were ordered to operate from 6 to 9 a.m. and from 4 to 8 p.m.
Government agencies and private offices were encouraged to adopt alternative work arrangements.
The limited face-to-face classes were also suspended. College and senior high school students outside the municipality were encouraged to coordinate with the Mayor’s Office for the submission and claiming of modules.
Ngaya encouraged residents to strictly comply with the minimum public health standards such as wearing of facemasks, maintaining cleanliness and proper hygiene, and physical distancing and all other health and safety protocols to prevent the further spread of the Covid-19. – Redjie M. Cawis
April 20, 2024
