Work at the municipal hall of Tboli town in South Cotabato province has been suspended for at least five days effective Monday (Oct. 12) due to the increasing cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the area.
Tboli Mayor Dibu Tuan said he ordered the temporary closure following the confirmed local transmission and the rise in active cases of the disease in their municipality in the past several days.
Tuan said seven new positive cases were recorded in the area over the weekend that have been traced to two patients from Barangays Poblacion and Edwards, which are currently under granular lockdown.
“It’s sad to note that we already have cases of Covid-19 local transmission but rest assured that we are doing everything to immediately contain this,” he said in a public video message on Sunday.
The mayor said he decided to suspend work at the municipal hall and nearby offices until Friday as a precautionary measure.
He said all employees, except those rendering essential services such as health, communication, peace and order, and disaster management, will be under work-from-home arrangement during the period.
During the municipal hall’s closure, he said municipal health office personnel will conduct disinfection activities in all its offices and facilities.
Tuan said he also advised school authorities to cease the distribution of learning modules to learners due to the Covid-19 situation and the damage to the area’s road networks brought about by heavy rains in the past several days.
“With this ample time, teachers may instead spend the week for the reproduction or printing of their educational materials,” he said.
As of Sunday evening, the confirmed Covid-19 cases in the municipality already reached a total of 21, with 12 recoveries. Tuan said the nine active cases are currently undergoing treatment and isolation in local health facilities.
He said local contact tracers already identified at least 27 direct contacts of the nine patients and local health workers are continually monitoring and tracking other persons who might have been exposed to them. (PNA)
