MANKAYAN, Benguet – The municipal government disclosed that the two hundred eight nine close contacts of the first Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) case in the municipality all tested negative for the deadly virus following the clean bill of health given to the patient.
Mayor Frenzel Ayong led municipal officials and health workers in receiving Glory Galino, 23, a job order health worker, after she and 10 other COVID-19 patients were discharged from the Benguet General Hospital (BeGH) after their two successive negative tests for the virus.
“We are elated that our first COVID patient recovered and is now raring to continue performing her assigned duties and responsibilities in the health center where she is assigned. It is a glorious day for the people of Mankayan because aside from her recovering from the virus, her close contacts also tested negative for the same,” Mayor Ayong stressed.
The municipal chief executive pointed out the municipal government needs to continue tightening the entry and exit of people from its borders to prevent incidents that will again be a cause for concern once there will be similar cases that will transpire in any of the barangays in the locality, thus, residents must always be vigilant on what is happening in their neighborhood to be able to ensure that there will be no transmission of the virus.
According to him, the town’s first COVID-19 case has kept the residents on their toes to prevent more people from contracting the virus because it will have an impact on the way established health and safety protocols are being implemented.
Mankayan was one of the twelve municipalities in Benguet that was able to maintain their COVID-free status for over two and a half months before the discovery of successive cases in other towns aside from La Trinidad during the first week of June.
Mayor Ayong revealed that there are available quarantine facilities in the municipality that had been readied during the start of the implementation of the Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) as the local government was able to make the necessary preparations for the worst case scenario.
The municipal mayor expressed his gratitude to all those, who in one way or the other, extended their assistance in showing their concern for the speedy recovery of the COVID patient who was confined in the BeGH over the past two weeks until her discharge last Thursday.
He commended the barangay officials, barangay health workers, barangay nutrition scholars, barangay tanods, municipal officials and employees, the private sector and volunteers for their sacrifices in making sure that there will be no additional confirmed COVID cases in the municipality after the first patient was discovered.
While its neighboring municipalities in Ilocos Sur and Mountain Province locked down their boundaries with the municipality, he assured residents that it will still be business as usual in the local government and other government agencies in the municipality so that there will be no undue interruption of services for the people
By Hent
You might also like:
