BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – For five days, the municipal hall of Isabela in Negros Occidental is off-limits to the public. The building will be thoroughly disinfected, according to Mayor Irene Montilla.
Three job order employees were infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The town hall is expected to reopen on Friday, Dec. 4.
The infected employees have been moved to a quarantine facility.
Montilla said they learned about the patients’ test results Friday last week. They all had exposure to a COVID-19 case.
So far, health authorities were able to track at least 15 close contacts of the three employees in the municipal hall, including some personnel of the Municipal Mayor’s Office.
Their initial tests were negative for SARS-CoV-2, that virus that causes COVID-19, according to Montilla.
While the municipal government is on shutdown, Montilla imposed a work-from-home scheme for all employees.
She likewise ordered local health authorities to ramp up contract tracing efforts.
As of Nov. 29, Isabela had 14 active COVID-19 cases. Three of the town’s villages – Rumirang, 5 and Panaquiao – are currently on lockdown./PN
