BY CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
Two barangay captains in Bacolod City, a staff member of a city councilor and a school janitor have tested positive for COVID-19.
Aside from Banago Barangay Captain Ricky Mijares and Mansilingan Barangay Captain Rodolfo Pico and his son, a female staff member of Councilor Ana Marie Palermo and a janitor of the Negros Occidental High School (NOHS) also tested positive for COVID-19.
Pico said his 22-year-old son also tested positive for COVID-19 while five members of his household are scheduled to undergo swab tests today. These include his wife, two helpers and two caregivers of his parents, who live in another house.
He has also requested the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (DRRMO) to disinfect the Mansilingan Barangay Hall and Health Center that were already sealed off for a week starting yesterday.
Pico said he will also have the eight members of their staff at the Mansilingan Barangay Hall undergo COVID-19 tests and let them temporarily stay in the barangay gym pending the release of their results.
He had a sore throat, body pain, cough and had fever for one day so he underwent an RT-PCR test Friday, Pico said, adding that he is feeling better now.
Being a frontliner, he said he may have acquired the virus from one of the people he came in contact with.
They have suspended temporarily their services in the barangay for a week, since Friday, and hope to put up a skeletal force in the next few days, Pico said.
Mijares could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Meanwhile, Palermo said a female job order employee assigned to her office, who last reported to the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) on August 4, tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.
The City Health Office has recommended that they close her office for 14 days. She has also requested the DRRMO to disinfect it today.
NOHS principal Mario Amaca, on the other hand, said one of their male janitors from Brgy. Alijis also tested positive for COVID-19 and may have contracted the virus outside of the school premises. He was swabbed on August 12 and the result came out Sunday.
Amaca said the janitor left the school premises on August 7 to buy food despite being discouraged from going out as a preventive measure to protect their staff against contracting the virus. He returned the next day and later experienced fever.
He ordered seven personnel of their Engineering and Clerical Departments with whom the janitor had been in close contact with to undergo swab test yesterday. He also had the two offices disinfected, including the place where the janitor stays, he said.
Liga ng mga Barangay president and Councilor Lady Gles Gonzales-Pallen said that since August 10 eight houses in their barangay have been placed under lockdown. These are in Sta. Lucia Subdivision, Golden River Subdivision, Puroks Liro, Kawilihan,Kabukiran, BM and Fuentebella Subdivision.*
