Village checkpoints back in Apayao town due to Delta threat

LAOAG CITY – Checkpoints manned by uniformed personnel and village watchmen are back in Pudtol town in the province of Apayao, after it recorded its first case of the Delta variant of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Since Friday, contact tracers have started tracking the close contacts up to the third generation contacts of the Delta patient who has fully recovered since his infection last July. Mass testing is also ongoing to contain the spread of the virus.

In a statement on Saturday, Mayor Hector Ruel Pascua urged his constituents to stay calm as he assured them that the situation is under control.

“The Municipal Inter-Agency Task Force (MIATF) wishes to inform the general public the confirmed case has been declared fully recovered in July 2021, has remained asymptomatic since, and continued to be under home isolation awaiting the results of the genomic sequencing,” said Pascua, citing that after they were informed of the result on Friday.

This prompted Governor Eleanor Bulut-Begtang to place the entire municipality of Pudtol under the strictest enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to 21 to contain the further spread of the virus.

A truckload of food packs and grocery items from the provincial government arrived in the town on Saturday. Village workers immediately repacked the relief items and distributed them to families in all 22 villages of the town.

All residents are advised to stay home and refrain from any form of non-essential gatherings.

As of Friday, Apayao province has logged a total of 2,853 confirmed cases, with 2,146 recoveries, 690 active cases, and 17 deaths.

Based on the latest tally, the town of Luna, Apayao’s economic center, tops the list of infections with 576; Pudtol, 482, Conner, 447; Flora, 364; Kabugao; 256; Sta. Marcela, 249 and Calanasan, 209.

The Apayao Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force calls on everyone who has had contacts and interactions with the index cases two days before symptoms appeared (date swabbed for asymptomatic cases) and 14 days after, are encouraged to come forward and coordinate with their respected rural health units. (PNA)

Agencies