By Tara Yap
ILOILO CITY — The municipal hall of Igbaras town, Iloilo province was ordered closed after a councilor tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Mayor Jaime Esmeralda told The Manila Bulletin that he ordered the temporary closure of the Igbaras Municipal Hall Tuesday morning as a precautionary measure.
A day before, the Department of Health (DOH) reported that a 55-year-old man from Igbaras was the newest COVID-19 patient in Western Visayas. Esmeralda confirmed that the person was, indeed, one of the town’s councilors.
It is unclear how the town councilor hot infected with COVID-19, but it was said that he traveled to Iloilo City last May 1.
The town councilor had close contact with approximately 150 personnel, or three-fourths of the workforce of the local government unit (LGU) of Igbaras.
“That is why public transactions have been suspended. We don’t know if there is local transmission, and the person who infected him is also asymptomatic,” Esmeralda said.
“The LGU is almost paralyzed because our personnel have to stay home and wait to for their COVID-19 tests,” Esmeralda added.
“We hope to get the results within two days so that we can reopen our municipal hall,” Esmeralda added.