LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The municipal government was compelled to hire ten additional contact tracers to fastrack the ongoing contact tracing of confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients following the surge in cases triggered by the more infectious and more transmissible Omicron variant.
Mayor Romeo K. Salda stated that the decision to hire additional contact tracers emanated from the municipal health office to ensure that immediate tracing will be done on the close contacts of positive COVID-19 patients for them to undergo the required quarantine or be tested in case they have symptoms of the virus to avoid the rapid spread of the illness among the residents in the town’s 16 barangays.
The earlier contact tracers hired by the Department of Interior and Local Government ended their contracts and were not renewed by the agency because of lack of funds.
Mayor Salda disclosed that these 10 additional contact tracers hired by the municipal government will bring to a total of 36 available contact tracers who will be working to speed up the ongoing tracing with the ongoing surge in cases to ensure close contacts will undergo the required quarantine and for them to be tested if they have symptoms of the virus.
According to him, the salaries of the hired contact tracers will be shouldered by the municipal government from the budget allocated for the purpose.
He admitted that the ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases is definitely a cause for concern for the municipal government but the situation remains under control because of the combined efforts of concerned government agencies and the municipal government in effectively and efficiently handling the problems caused by the health crisis.
La Trinidad recorded the highest number of COVID-19 cases among the province’s 13 municipalities since the start of the pandemic over the past 22 months that caused a heavy impact on the municipal economy.
Salda appealed to the residents and people coming from other municipalities transacting businesses with the different private and public offices to strictly practice the minimum public health standards to avoid the rapid spread of the deadly virus among individuals that might compromise the local health care system and cause unduly stress to the frontliners.
While there is high compliance among the people on the minimum public health standards, the municipal chief executive pointed out that people must be responsible for their health and safety and be models in the practice of the wearing of face masks, observance of physical distancing, personal hygiene and disinfection.
He stipulated that the hired contact tracers were requested to immediately report for work because of the urgency for them to conduct contact tracing on the confirmed COVID-19 cases from the different barangays to contain the further spread of the virus among the populace.