Mayor Jerry P. Treñas has reminded residents here to always observe health standards as cases of confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) are recorded daily.

“Yes, we really have to go on with our lives but we should understand that the virus is still there,” Treñas said during Monday’s regular flag-raising ceremony.

“I continue to inform everyone of the cases because I want you to understand while we are trying to be in the new normal, there are cases that come up every day,” he said, adding that there is a big chance of being infected if one forgets to observe health standards when in a gathering.

In his message, he announced several new confirmed Covid-19 cases, including nine employees of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Iloilo provincial office who are residents of this city.

He also announced that a female lawyer assigned at the City Legal Office (CLO) has manifested Covid-19 symptoms. The CLO has been closed temporarily for disinfection on Monday.

In an official statement, the DILG regional office here has confirmed that 23 employees of its Iloilo provincial office were infected by the virus.

All personnel who tested positive “are already undergoing isolation in their respective LGUs (local government units)”, it said.

Also, extensive contact tracing has been done to determine up to the second degree of contacts.

“The DILG 6 (Western Visayas) has been in close coordination with the Iloilo City Government and the DOH 6 (Department of Health) to ensure that all protocols are observed from isolation to contact tracing. The public is advised to remain calm as the condition is properly managed and handled by the management of DILG 6,” the statement said.

The DILG Iloilo province has also been decontaminated.

The statement did not mention the possible source of infection, but Treñas said that there was a seminar that was conducted.

Meantime, the DILG, as head of the Western Visayas Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF), said that it is “committed to secure by all means the general public including its personnel in the infections brought by Covid-19”.

Also, it will continue to update its constituents of the status of the infection, in the spirit of transparency and for their guidance and information. (PNA)