BAGUIO CITY -- The Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force headed by Gov. Eleanor Bulut-Begtang placed Pudtol, Apayao on lockdown, after a Delta Variant case was detected in the town, the first in the Cordillera, following a notification from the Philippine Genome Center (PGC), Friday, Aug. 6.
Begtang said the municipality of Pudtol shall be put on lockdown effective Aug.6, pending completion of the contact tracing activities, and receipt of results of the mass testing that shall be undertaken.
She said the Delta case was detected from the submitted specimens to the PGC last month and the confirmed case already has fully recovered in July.
Begtang said that despite the unfortunate incident, the situation is under control.
The PIATF and the Pudtol IATF assured the public that they are doing their best to manage the situation, and are conducting massive tracing of individuals who have had interactions and contact with the confirmed Delta variant case and subject the same to RT-PCR testing.
Meanwhile, in Baguio City, Mayor Benjamin Magalong extended until Aug. 15 the suspension of non-essential travels, including tourists to the Summer Capital regardless of place of origin as a preemptive measure against the threat of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Delta variant.
In Advisory No. 08-2021 issued Aug. 6, Magalong explained that “the extension of the temporary suspension of non-essential travels from all areas is appropriate and necessary, especially so that this is a crucial time to fully assess actions on border management, contact tracing, and patient management in all health facilities.”
“Once again, I caution everyone to limit travels outside of the city, unless it is absolutely necessary. Let us continue to keep our guards up, and be mindful of standard health protocols at all times,” Magalong appealed to residents.