4 Naga City Hall offices closed due to Covid-19

By Jason B. Neola

At least four key offices at the Naga City Hall compound were placed on lockdown following the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) among its personnel.

The city’s Health Emergency Response Task Force (HERTF) said the first group of employees who were tested positive for the virus after each of them underwent antigen tests belonged to the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO). Three of the treasury personnel were at present undergoing home quarantine since Apr. 15.

Aside from the three CTO employees, three more personnel from the City Budget Office also tested positive for the virus. The budget office was placed on lockdown on Apr. 15.

The task force also placed on lockdown on Monday, Apr. 19, the Human Resource Management Office where a female employee was found positive for the virus after going along with CTO employees in a team building activity.

On Wednesday, Apr. 21, a pharmacist and a key female personnel of the City Health Office (CHO) were also tested positive in an antigen tests, a situation that compels the HERTF to put it on lockdown purposely to disinfect the CHO and to require all CHO employees to undergo swab tests.

Allen Reondanga, City Events Protocol and Public Information Office (CEPPIO) chief, said that CHO operations will resume on April 22 to be able to attend to the conduct of various undertakings as part of the city government’s Covid-19 response.

He explained that all close contacts of the two CHO personnel will not be allowed to report for work and will be ordered to isolate themselves. “The HERTF will only allowed personnel who do not have exposures to the two infected employees,” he said.

Reondanga confirmed that the chief of the Naga City Hospital was infected also with Covid-19 10 days ago. He has exposures with nurses who underwent swab test on Apr. 21.