Occidental Mindoro’s San Jose town shuts offices after 33 staff found COVID positive

COVID-19 test_positive. STOCK PHOTO

CITY OF CALAPAN — Municipal government offices in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro were ordered closed on Thursday after 33 employees tested positive for COVID-19.

San Jose, the province’s economic center, also recorded its first Delta variant case, according to municipal health officer Dr. Enid Asuncion. He did not provide details of the patient.

Mayor Romulo Festin ordered the closure of local government offices from September 9-15 upon the recommendation of the local task force on COVID-19, said Maridel Ralleta, the municipal human resource officer.

All the rest of the town’s employees were required to undergo the mandatory swab test for coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, she said.

The mayor, in an order issued Thursday, directed all department heads to adopt alternative work arrangements for offices that are essential to the operation of the municipality.

“There is already COVID-19 Delta variant case in town, which explains the surge in COVID-19 cases in previous days,” Asuncion said in an interview with the local government-run radio program “Para sa Bayan” on Thursday morning.

As of September 9, Occidental Mindoro has 296 active infections. The province logged a total of 1,248 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic struck last year,  including 62 patients who had died.

The town of San Jose has the highest number of active cases at 159, followed by Calintaan (51) and then Mamburao (48).

The province is under general community quarantine until the end of September.