CITY OF MALOLOS—The province of Bulacan will hire more contact tracers to boost its fight against COVID-19 after the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) allowed the use of funds remaining in a program called Tupad, or Tulong sa Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers.
Tupad is an assistance program of DOLE for workers displaced by pandemic and lockdowns.
Lawyer Kenneth Ocampo-Lantin, Bulacan provincial employment service officer, said the DOLE had approved a request by Gov. Daniel Fernando to use funds from Tupad’s allocation in Bulacan to improve contact tracing.
The province planned to hire 300 to 400 contract racers for deployment to 21 towns and cities, it was learned.
Dr. Hjordis Marushka Celis, vice chair of the Bulacan task force, said the province needed more contact tracers to help stop the growth of COVID-19 cases.
As of Friday (Aug. 20), Bulacan has recorded 3,283 active COVID-19 cases out of the 52,013 infections logged since 2020. Its COVID-19 death toll rose to 1,065.