The Isabela Municipal Hall in Negros Occidental was placed under lockdown after three of its job order (JO) employees were tested positive for the coronavirus disease, Mayor Irene Montilla confirmed today, November 29.
She said that the three JOs came to the municipal hall to process some papers, and it was found out through contact tracing that they were exposed to a positive patient.
“We got the information last Friday (November 27). I made the order to close the municipal hall for a week today (November 29), pending the results,” she said.
She said the municipal hall will be closed for disinfection from Tuesday, December 1, to Friday, December 4.
There is no work tomorrow, November 30, since it is a holiday.
Montilla said that the three JOs have more than 15 direct contacts at the municipal hall, including those from the Mayor’s Office, adding that their swabs were already taken.
Initial swab test results showed that some of them yielded negative for the virus, she added.
The mayor said she was excluded from the test as she was working from home at that time, and that she had no contact with the patients and their direct contacts.
“We have to conduct detailed contact tracing to stop the spread of the virus because these JO workers moved around,” she said.
As of today, November 29, Isabela has 14 active COVID-19 cases.
UNDER MONITORING
Montilla said that barangays 5, Rumirang, and Panaquiao were also placed under lockdown and being closely monitored.
She said that the two JOs were residents of barangays Rumirang and Panaquiao, where five and six households were affected, respectively, by the lockdown.
In Barangay 5, 24 households were also affected after a pregnant woman was tested positive for the virus.
Meanwhile, the lockdown in Barangay 4 is expected to be lifted tomorrow, November 30, after the result of a patient yielded negative.*