TACLOBAN CITY-In hopes of speeding up the contact tracing and surveillance process of suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other infectious diseases carriers at the community level, the city government of Tacloban convened the 40 designated Persons of Authority (POA) in an orientation on Wednesday, August 12 at the City Engineer’s Office (CEO) Gym.
The POAs, who are all local government employees and currently living in the northern part of the City, will lead the Volunteer Surveillance Officers (VSO), composed of Barangay Health Nutrition Scholars, Barangay Service Point Officers, and other volunteers at the community who have signed up to help the government address this health crisis.
Meantime, Acting City Health Officer Dr. Gloria Fabrigas has appealed to the employees to be more involved in the contact tracing, stressing that it is not solely the responsibility of the government but everyone in the community to help curb the spread of the virus.
“We mobilize them in order to engage and empower the community, especially in the North, wherein there are more than 16,000 families living in the resettlement areas, “ she explained.
Fabrigas stressed that the PAOs, in coordination with the VSOs, are tasked to trace those who have been in close contact with the COVID-19 suspected and confirmed patients.
To date, Tacloban City has 13 active cases and is among the 16 areas in the region which already has a local transmission of COVID-19.(TACLOBAN CITY INFORMATION OFFICE)
