COVID-19 cases at PCOO rise to 23

MANILA, Philippines — The number of active coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases at the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) is now at 23.

“We regret to inform everyone that, as of 2:10 PM of July 26, 2020, we have 19 COVID-19 active cases among our personnel who were infected while performing their duties to the public,” Communication Secretary Martin Andanar said in a statement.

Meanwhile, there are six active cases in PCOO’s attached agencies — one each at the Apo Production Unit and PTV, and two each at the Philippine Information Agency and the Radio Television Malacañang.

Andanar said PCOO has formed a team dedicated to contact tracing and monitoring of the COVID-positive employees.

“As work at the New Executive Building (NEB) remains suspended, we continue to adopt a work-from -home arrangement in order to fulfill our obligations and mandate to the Filipino people,” he added.

Andanar said the PCOO and the RTVM are already under lockdown.

“Naka-lockdown kami sa PCOO, naka-lockdown din kami sa RTVM. Tapos mayroon po tayong mga pinapasok lang sa technical side,” Andanar said in an interview over dzBB.

(PCOO and RTVM are under lockdown. But we are letting some in from the technical side.)

“Pero lahat ng mga ito ay dadaan sa swabbing and then pagkatapos nitong State of the Nation Address, iyong ilang mga ahensiya na talagang involved doon sa araw-araw na production ay puro virtual press na, virtual production lahat, kahit na dalawang linggo, kasi talagang nakakabahala, biglang tumaas,” he went on.

(Everyone will undergo swabbing and after the State of the Nation Address, the agencies involved in production will be virtual for two weeks because it’s alarming that the cases have suddenly spiked.)

/MUF