COVID-19 cases at BGC work site go up to 34

MANILA, Philippines — From the initial 17, the number of workers found positive for the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a locked down construction site in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig, has doubled to 34 in less than a week.

The local government said all those infected had been moved to a quarantine facility to prevent the virus from further spreading. The rest of the workers at the site were undergoing swab testing to determine if they had also contracted COVID-19.

“The site still remains in lockdown until further notice and will be closely monitored as a safety precaution and to quarantine other workers inside,” said a statement on Sunday from Barangay Fort Bonifacio, which has jurisdiction over the area.

The exact location of the construction site has not been disclosed to protect the identity of the sick workers.

Regular inspections

As two other COVID-19 cases were reported in the BGC area, barangay chair Jorge Daniel Bocobo told owners of business establishments that personnel of the Taguig Safe City Task Force, city business permits and licensing office, city police and BGC marshals would conduct regular inspections to check whether safety and health protocols were being observed.

“There have been reports of violations especially with regard to restaurants that do not follow social distancing measures. The city and barangay will not tolerate this and will order the closure of any business establishment [that] violates any rule that ensures the safety of the general public,” he said.

Of the 787 confirmed cases in the city as of June 27, Fort Bonifacio accounted for 101—the highest in the city and the only barangay to breach triple digits.

Declining

Before the outbreak reported at the BGC work site on June 22, the cases in the barangay had been on decline. There were just 29 active cases out of a total of 65.

On June 23, the city government ordered the construction site placed under localized lockdown after the city epidemiology and disease surveillance office found several of the workers had fever.

Of the 27 initially tested for COVID-19, dengue, typhoid and the Zika virus, 17 came out positive for COVID-19.

The Department of Public Works and Highways earlier allowed construction work to resume in areas under different community quarantine levels subject to the strict observance of health and labor safety protocols under Department Order No. 39, series of 2020 dated May 19. At that time, Metro Manila was under modified enhanced community quarantine. INQ