Bohol municipal hall shuts doors after mom of 3 employees dies of COVID-19

The San Miguel town hall in Bohol is temporarily closed to the public to allow the thorough disinfection of offices after a 64-year-old mother of three of its employees died of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). LEO UDTOHAN

TAGBILARAN CITY—The municipal hall of San Miguel town in Bohol has closed its doors to the public while its offices are being disinfected after the 64-year-old mom of three of its employees died of COVID-19.

San Miguel Mayor Virgilio Mendez said the suspension of work at the municipal hall started on Thursday (July 29) until further notice.

“We resorted to this drastic action in order to contain the possible spread of the virus,” Mendez said on a Facebook post.

He said the town’s contact tracing team had already identified some of the persons who were exposed to the employees’ mom. Tests would follow, he said.

Mendez asked those who had close contact with surviving members of the fatality and their close relatives to report to the municipal health office if COVID-19 symptoms develop.

The fatality had been admitted in San Miguel Hospital last July 20 because of pneumonia. She died two days after.

Results of polymerase chain reaction test (PCR) tests, which detects antigens or foreign matter including viruses in the human body, showed she was positive for SARS Cov2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Three of her children are working at the municipal hall. Her other son, a policeman, was assigned to the San Miguel Police Station which was also placed on lockdown.

According to Bohol Gov. Arthur Yap, the fatality in San Miguel may have acquired the virus through community transmission since she was neither a stranded individual nor an overseas Filipino worker.

The patient, a market store owner, was the fourth COVID-19 fatality in Bohol.

Bohol has currently 86 COVID-19 cases and 57 recoveries.

TSB