Jail guard stricken with COVID-19 isolated in Benguet mine town

BAGUIO CITY — A jail guard, who returned to the Benguet mining town of Itogon from Metro Manila, has been confined at a hospital after testing positive for the novel coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.

The 49-year-old patient serves at the New Bilibid Prison and had passed an initial rapid test. But a confirmatory test result that came in on Friday (May 29) indicated he was a carrier of the virus, according to an alert from the Philippine Information Agency.

Mayor Victorio Palangdan has launched contact tracing procedures at Ucab village, which has been locked down.

Benguet had just discharged the last two of its 10 recorded patients this week. A 79-year-old man and his 46-year-old son were sent home on May 26 by the Benguet General Hospital where they have been confined since April.

In Baguio City, health workers have processed 260 returning migrant workers including those residing in Benguet and Mountain Province since April 16 at an isolation facility set up at the Teachers’ Camp, according to the city information office.

The city is also bracing for the return of residents who were locked out during the Luzon quarantine, having received 4,897 applications submitted to an online service designed to “control the number of entrants and prevent overwhelming the triage and isolation and medical facilities,” the Baguio PIO said.

Baguio is preparing to transition to a modified general community quarantine on June 1.