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50,000 more contact tracers to ramp up efforts vs COVID-19

Philippines | National

50,000 more contact tracers to ramp up efforts vs COVID-19

By Chito Chavez

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año on Wednesday said an additional 50,000 contact tracers will be employed in the coming days to beef up the 238,000 that were already hired as the country continues its fight against the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19).

(JANSEN ROMERO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)

In an interview over GMA News, Año said the 238,000 contact tracers are mostly volunteers and augmentation personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

He added that they are normally deployed in areas where they are volunteers.

Año said the 50,000 contact tracers who will be hired will be assigned in high-risk areas where their services are badly needed.

“Itong mga contact tracers natin na ito, madi-deploy natin 'to all around the region kung saan sila kailangan (These contact tracers will be deployed in areas around the region where their services are needed),”
Año said.

Año noted the 20,000 contact tracers will be deployed in Luzon; 15,000 in the Visayas; and 15,000 in Mindanao.

“The contact tracers will be hired per province but they will be deployed across a specific region,’’ he added.

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