DAVAO CITY—The Office of the Chief Minister (OCM) of the Bangsamoro government has been closed for disinfection after one of its employees tested positive for the coronavirus, and two others in close contacts were also infected.
The office, and the entire OCM building was closed on August 30 and subjected all its staff and employees in the building’s offices to swabbing, where 32 close contacts later turned positive for the virus.
Health personnel took 229 swab samples from the building between September 2 and 5. The Bangsamoro government’s Ministry of Health said many of the 32 new cases were considered essential employees of the OCM.
The infection in the OCM offices brought to 35 the confirmed cases within the Bangsamoro government center located in Cotabato City. Of this number, 29 were residents of Cotabato City while six were from Maguindanao province.
The Ministry of Health said the new cases were all in stable condition and undergoing strict isolation in the centers immediately after receiving the result of their confirmatory test.
The OCM assuaged residents however, that the new recorded cases “should not be a cause for panic.”
The OCM added: “Rest assured that the Bangsamoro government is implementing aggressive containment strategy to control and avoid any further spread of the virus, which includes close coordination with pertinent offices within and outside of the Barmm [Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao].”
It disclosed that disinfection of offices in the Bangsamoro government center was being conducted in the past week as an additional preventive measure.
“Through OCM’s Project Tabang and the BARMM READi, not only have we attended to the daily needs of our affected personnel, we have also extended assistance to their families while they are in quarantine,” it said.
In addition, the Ministry of Health was conducting extensive contact tracing related to the new confirmed cases.
It reminded residents anew to provide accurate and factual information which it said was “essential to fighting this invisible enemy.”
“The threat of Covid-19 is indeed, real. Be wary of false information and hoaxes. We are reiterating our call for the strict observance of minimum health standards: always wear your face masks and face shields; keep a physical distance of at least 1 meter from each other; wash your hands frequently with soap or use alcohol, and as much as possible, please stay in your homes. The significance of these actions in saving and protecting lives cannot be stressed enough,” it said.