Davao City stops emergency center work after employee contact with COVID suspect

DAVAO CITY –– The local government of Davao City is suspending the work of its emergency operation center  after receiving reports of an employee who was exposed to a person who tested positive of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection.

Mayor Sara Duterte said she has suspended the Davao COVID-19 Emergency Operations Center work for 24 hours starting Friday evening as most of them had to be on quarantined for being exposed to the said employee, and the possible contamination of its headquarters.

She, herself, had a meeting with the said employee on March 14.

“We shall be moving to a new location because of possible contamination of the current venue. We deeply apologize for the inconvenience. We shall resume operations in the soonest possible time,” Duterte said.

She said residents with concerns related to COVID-19 could temporarily use the Central 911 hotline until the operation center resumes its operations.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Saturday, the local government said all offices would “move to work at home and on-call operations” starting Monday.

“All employees are ordered to work from home and render services on-call basis. All documents and other materials needed for work to continue shall be transported between residences,” the local government said.

The office of Duterte confirmed that the decision was reached after the local government was informed about possible exposure of its employees to the highly infectious disease.

“This arrangement was reached because of possible cases of PUIs (patients under investigation) among employees of the City Hall. There is an urgent need to protect everyone who reports to their respective offices to avoid a breakdown of government service by exposure of the majority of the employees,” the statement said.

While there would be major changes in the operations of all city government offices, Duterte reassured residents that there would be no disruption in public service, especially those related to the response to the pandemic.

“Departments and Offices whose functions involve the delivery of basic social services, health, sanitation, public safety and security, preparedness and response to disaster and calamities, and/or performance to other vital services must still be in full operation and following a strict implementation of frequent and proper disinfection, physical distancing, and the wearing of masks,” the statement added.

Health officials said there are four confirmed COVID-19 cases and at least 245 PUIs in Davao City.

The local government also disclosed that of the total number of PUIs, 164 were considered mild and were admitted either in the dedicated PUI centers or are under strict quarantine.

Edited by LZB