13 more Zambales teachers in seminar outbreak have COVID-19
SAN ANTONIO, ZAMBALES—Thirteen more employees of the Department of Education (DepEd) in this province have contracted the coronavirus disease after attending a seminar that led to a recent outbreak.
Dr. Noel Bueno, Provincial Health Director, on Friday said the new patients were principals and teachers in different schools in the province. They all attended a seminar that was hosted in an Iba town beach resort from March 1-12.
The total number of infected DepEd Zambales employees has risen to 28, Bueno told the Inquirer.
The outbreak was initially traced to their co-worker and speaker at the seminar.
Bueno said other people who were exposed to these patients are were waiting for their results after taking reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction tests.
As of Tuesday, Zambales has recorded 1,043 COVID-19 cases since last year, 91 of which are active.
In a related development, the Zambales capitol on Friday instructed municipal officials to restore strict border controls and other health protocols at the checkpoints to curb the continuing spread of the disease.
Governor Hermogenes Ebdane said barangays (villages) must maintain the border control points from March 26 to April 5 and must record “any new person in the barangay.”
He said villages must launch a census during the Holy Week break must be recorded”. He also instructed the barangays to launch a census “to ensure that only residents can enter the villages.” JOANNA ROSE AGLIBOT
