COTABATO CITY—An official of the Bangsamoro autonomous government had appealed to other officials in the region and residents to help locate Muslim religious leaders who attended a gathering in Malaysia where a spike in COVID-19 cases has been reported.
In a memo last March 22, Bangsamoro Interior and Local Government Minister Naguib Sinarimbo appealed to the Bangsamoro people to help track down 215 Muslim religious leaders who were in Kuala Lumpur between Feb. 27 and March 1 for a gathering called Ijtima.
The gathering was attended by more than 16,000 people and was believed to have contributed to the spike of COVID-19 cases in Malaysia.
Sinarimo asked the Bangsamoro people to cooperate in locating the religious leaders to protect themselves and their families from possible COVID-19 infection.
In his memo, Sinarimbo appealed to the 215, who attended the Ijtima, to present themselves to authorities “so that the most appropriate steps may be taken to ensure your safety and that of your families.”
Sinarimbo also asked all governors and mayors in the autonomous region to track the attendees through their task forces on COVID-19, check their health and report to the regional COVID-19 task force.
Sinarimbo also ordered all 2,590 village chiefs to fast track contact tracing for the 215 who are now considered to be persons under monitoring, or those who have been to places of COVID-19 infection.
He said village officials must immediately report to higher authorities any of the 215 PUMs.
He also asked village health frontline workers to account for people in the villages and report immediately to higher authorities any information about the 215 PUMs.
One of those who attended the Ijtima in Malaysia was a Lanao del Sur resident who had been listed as a PUI. The patient died in Marawi City.
Another attendee volunteered to go on a 14-day quarantine.
The hotlines of the regional COVID-19 task force is 0966 301 8777, 0939 339 5221 or via two-way radio frequency number 170.125.