Pagibig office in Legazpi City shut down; 10 employees, 3 contacts get COVID-19

LEGAZPI CITY –– At least ten employees of the Pag-Ibig Office here and three of their close contacts were found to have contracted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), days after the office was placed on lockdown on Saturday, Jan. 30, after an employee initially tested positive for the virus.

Mayor Noel Rosal, who chairs the city’s Interagency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease, said Thursday, Feb. 4, that the active COVID-19 cases in the city now stood at 28 with the addition of the 13 new patients, including the initially reported employee.

Rosal said the swab test results for the Pagibig workers and their close contacts were released on Wednesday, Feb. 3, and six of the patients showed symptoms of the disease. The rest were asymptomatic.

The 13 have been placed on 14-day quarantine, he added.

The city IATF was still determining if there was a breach on the health protocol in the office, Rosal said.

Rosal advised individuals who transacted business with the office last week to stay calm, go on home quarantine, and immediately consult the City Health COVID-19 Center for a swab test once they manifest the symptoms of the disease.

Earlier, several government offices in the city were also locked down due to COVID-19 cases among its workers, including the Department of Education, the Government Service Insurance System, the Provincial Environment Natural Resources Office, and the Legazpi City Hospital. INQ

LZB