ILOILO – From today until tomorrow the Iloilo provincial capitol is off-limits to the public. It will be thoroughly disinfected. An employee of the General Services Office (GSO) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The employee – a 29-year-old male resident of Barangay Pali Benedicto, Mandurriao, Iloilo City – was a utility personnel at the sixth floor of the capitol.
“For two days wala sang makasulod umpisa tomorrow,”Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. said yesterday morning.
Aside from disinfecting the provincial capitol, contact tracing would be conducted, too.
“The capitol will reopen on Wednesday,” said Defensor.
The governor also revealed he had already been swabbed and his specimen would be tested for COVID-19.
“Samtang nagahulat sang result, diri lang anay kita ma-quarantine,” added Defensor, referring to his office.
He is hoping for a faster release of his test result – within 24 hours.
The GSO employee is the first provincial capitol worker to test positive for COVID-19.
GSO head Aaron Raymundo told Panay News this utility worker’s assignment was to clean the hallway and comfort room on the sixth floor.
“He was also tasked to collect and dispose garbage from offices,” added Raymundo.
From what he had so far gathered, said Raymundo, the GSO employee was swabbed on July 29 – one of several residents of Barangay Pali Benedicto, Mandurriao subjected to COVID testing. The result was released on Saturday, July 31.
Mayor Jerry Treñas of Iloilo City locked down a neighborhood in the village for three days beginning July 29 after 10 residents there tested positive for COVID-19.
Raymundo said seven capitol employees have been identified as possible close contacts of the GSO employee.
They were ordered to undergo home quarantine and scheduled for swabbing today.
SAN JOAQUIN VENDOR
Meanwhile, a market vendor in San Joaquin town tested positive for COVID-19 – the municipality’ second such case.
This asymptomatic 70-year-old male was placed in isolation at the town’s quarantine facility, said Mayor Ninfa Garin.
The Municipal Health Office (MHO) immediately launched contact tracing. The priority targets were the patient’s fellow market vendors, drivers and conductors.
On Saturday afternoon, the public market was temporarily closed for disinfection. It was reopened on Sunday morning with people required to observe the “one entrance, one exit” policy to better police the volume of people entering.
The patient was randomly tested on July 28, an initiative of Cong. Janette Garin of the 1st District.
The first COVID-19 case of San Joaquin was a 32-year-old nurse at the MHO.
THE ILLNESS
People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales.
These droplets also land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough.
Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don’t feel unwell.
Most people (about 80 percent) recover from the disease without needing special treatment, according to the World Health Organization.
Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness./PN
