The town of Mankayan, Benguet has coordinated with the Department of Education for the use of its schools as additional isolation facilitiesto accommodate more Covid-19 positive cases.
Mayor Frenzel Ayong said they have conducted site inspection at Marivic Elementary School in Barangay Sapid and Paco ES, Lepanto ES, and Lepanto National High School, all in Barangay Paco.
An additional 364 folding beds were purchased to be used for the isolation and quarantine facilities.
On Dec. 10, the Benguet Provincial Health Office reported Mankayan had the highest active caseswith 325 and 88 recoveries. The municipality was also classified as critical under the epidemic risk classification of municipalities.
Ayong said they are conducting up to 100 tests per day due to the surge in cases in the mining camps of the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company.
The current isolation facilities are the Mankayan temporary treatment and monitoring facility with a 32-bed capacity, Lepanto Mine Hospital-12 beds, Lepanto ES-36 beds, Lepanto NHS-96 beds, Union Hall-30 beds, Paco ES-38 beds, Marivic ES-72 beds, Pelota court-20 beds, CPJ training center-20, Government Employee’s isolation facility-10, and Staff House 44-four beds.
Mankayan has other quarantine facilities with total of 115-bed capacity to accommodate suspected and possible cases.
“We have been conducting pre-emptive lockdowns in the affected areas. The local government’ work is on contact tracing of those who tested positive for Covid-19 while Lepanto conducts expanded testing,” Ayong said.
Mankayan is also waiting for the expanded testing to be conducted by the National Task Force against Covid-19, which it requested earlier.
The Department of Health also provided additional 1,000 test kits while Benguet Legislative Caretaker Eric Yap also donated additional 1,000 test kits and relief packs.
The Department of Interior and Local Government has provided Mankayan with additional 20 contact tracers.
Ayong said they have temporarily suspended the giving of modules to school children within the mine camps particularly in Paco and Sapid. – Ofelia C. Empian
