LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The municipal government ordered the total lockdown of the municipal hall, the La Trinidad Municipal Police Station and the Pico barangay hall following the continuous surge in the number of confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the municipality and to pave the way for the conduct of swab tests to the frontliners exposed to the recently confirmed patients.
Mayor Romeo K. Salda said that the total lockdown of the municipal hall and the Pico barangay hall will be from June 19-25, 2020 while there will be reduced work force that will man the La Trinidad Municipal Police Station to ensure the maintenance of peace and order in the municipality amidst the confirmed COVID-19 patients among the law enforcers serving the municipality.
He added that all transactions in the different offices will be suspended to allow the immediate conduct of contact tracing, dis-infection of the offices and to secure the premises of the government offices to prevent more people from contracting and transmitting the virus.
Earlier, two personnel of the LTMPS, a municipal health workers and a student tested positive of the deadly virus following the intensified targeted and expanded testing among frontliners because of their exposure to the public over the past several days.
The municipal mayor also advised residents who transacted business in the municipal hall from June 9-17, 2020 to go on the mandatory 14-day home quarantine and for individuals who manifest flu-like symptoms to immediately report the matter to the members of the barangay health emergency response teams (BHERTs) in their barangays for proper monitoring, documentation and for them to be provided with immediate health care assistance.
“We should take the matter seriously. We should listen to the constant reminders of our health authorities to stay at home because our enemy is really invisible and vicious. The virus is obviously in our midst that is why we must be extra careful in our dealings and actions so that we will not be the next one to be infected,” Mayor Salda stressed.
At present, La Trinidad has a total of 18 confirmed COVID-19 cases where more than 50 percent of them were able to recover while the others are now confined in several local health facilities undergoing close medical supervision even if they are in stable condition.
According to him, the operation of the LTMPS will be in a significantly reduced manner because the local government cannot afford to suspend peacekeeping operations but good number of law enforcers already went on isolation, especially the ones that had close contacts with the police officers hat tested positive for the deadly virus.
Salda ordered all frontliners to undergo the swab test to ascertain their prevailing condition because many of the confirmed COVID-19 cases are reportedly asymptomatic which is now a cause of concern because they might be the ones transmitting the virus to the community.
He appealed to the residents of the municipality transacting business with the different offices of the local government to bear with the inconveniences caused by the suspension of government operations because what matters now is the health and safety of the populace.
By Hent
photo by Armando M. Bolislis
