KALIBO, Aklan – Two offices at the Kalibo International Airport were placed on lockdown beginning Jan. 11 following reported cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Airport manager Engineer Eusebio Monserate Jr. said airport employees and the general public won’t be allowed to enter the said offices until the lockdown is lifted.
He did not say how long the lockdown would last.
Nine airport facility cleaners, an office assistant and employee of an airport-attached agency contracted COVID-19. Their test results were released over the weekend by the Aklan provincial hospital molecular laboratory.
Monserate said only 18 low-risk employees of the locked down offices were advised to report to work this week. All other offices in the airport remain operational subject to strict health protocols as a precautionary measure. Those airport personnel with pre-existing morbidities or underlying conditions, although tested negative for the virus, are required to work-from-home.
“Since there are clusters of cases, the disinfection and containment of airport facilities were recommended by the Provincial Health Office (PHO). These are the areas where majority of infected airport personnel are working,” Monserate said.
Mass testing was conducted by the PHO on 645 airport personnel on Jan. 7 to 8 after nine positive cases were reported last December. Majority of them were airport fire fighters.
Part of the mass testing management was to immediately isolate 10 symptomatic employees after the health risk assessment. They were brought to the Ligtas COVID Centers for self-isolation. All but two tested negative for the virus.
The latest coronavirus-related restrictions will not affect the passengers and clients who are hoping to travel via Kalibo airport.
No commercial flights were suspended despite the temporary closure of two airport offices. AirAsia, Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines continue their daily flights except on Thursdays./PN
