The Municipal Assessor’s Office in Dingras, Ilocos Norte is temporarily closed effective Monday (July 19) as one of its employees has been exposed to a person infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
As a preventive measure, Mayor Joefrey P. Saguid said in a phone interview Monday that they decided to close the office while massive contact tracing is ongoing.
“As of the moment, we have identified at least nine primary contacts and they are now isolated,” said Saguid citing the affected employees who are under contract of service can settle for a “work from home” arrangement to ensure they can still receive their salary while under quarantine.
Like in other cities and towns of Ilocos Norte, Saguid said Dingras town is also experiencing surge of Covid-19 infections with 51 active cases, which makes them worry where to isolate infected residents if the numbers continue to rise.
For the moment, additional isolation rooms are being established at the Dingras District Hospital to cater to more compromised individuals.
To control the movement of people and prevent the further spread of the virus, the mayor said he is in favor of declaring the entire province under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
He said the municipal government is ready to re-align some funds to ensure that affected families under lockdown will have enough food on the table while on home quarantine.
The mayor has also directed all village officials in Dingras to strictly monitor the conduct of gatherings such as birthdays, anniversaries and reunions which shall be limited to household members only.
Source: Philippines News Agency
