The Department of Interior and Local Government has assigned 71 contact tracers for the City of Mati as the war against Covid-19 continues.
Recently, the new contact tracers underwent training from October 6-7 on contact tracing of COVID-19 cases conducted by Marion Paulo Ungab of the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit DOH Davao and April Kristine Son-Delagua of the Mai City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit.
The hired contact tracers will be deployed to different health stations in the City of Mati starting October 13. Their contract with DILG is for 3 months from October to December 2020.
The aim of hiring contact tracer is to augment existing contact tracing teams of the LGUs.
“Sa ilahang mandato, kay mo-augment ug mo-merge sila didto sa existing nga contact tracing team sa City ug sa barangay level mdugang sila didto. Sa mga na hired nga dili didto nga barangay, they opted to stay kung asa ilahang area of assignment like Lanca, Luban,Cabuaya,” said Joseph G. Porgatorio, CLGOO of the Department of Interior and Local Government.
The City of Mati LGU has an existing contact tracing team composed of personnel from City Health Office, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire and Protection, Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTS) and volunteers from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).
The DILG is authorized to hire contact tracers under the Bayanihan to Recover as One ACt or Bayanihan 2.
“When we say hired by the DILG ang ilahang salary are actually from DILG, they are deployed to the LGU to augment but all the remuneration are coming from DILG as our help to the LGU,” explained Porgatorio.
Among of the responsibilities of the contact tracing team are to conduct interviews, profiling, perform an initial public health risk assessment of COVID-19 cases and their identified close contacts, daily monitoring of close and general contacts for at least 14 days and perform such other tasks in relation to the COVID response.
“Sa ilahang mga activity, kung unsa ang activity sa existing contact tracing team mao to ang e-tranfer sa ilaha. Mao naay training para naa sila levelling off. Ikaduha ang atong contact tracers are also encouraged as advocate sa atuhang “Disiplina Panahon sa Pandemya, we provided them opportunity to understand our existing ordinance because kani ang atung fundamentals nato karon sa atong fight against COVID-19,” said Porgatorio.
The DILg officials also added that one of the advocacy of the hired CTTs is the City of Mati LGU formulated Ordinance No. 427 known as “Disiplina Panahon sa Pandemiya Ordinance”, this is also mandated through Executive Order 97 signed by Mayor Michelle N. Rabat. (CIO MATI)