298 contact tracers to start contact tracing work in Lapu-Lapu

The almost 300 hired contact tracers have undergone a one-day seminar about their contact tracing jobs in Lapu-Lapu City before they will be sent out to help in contact tracing and doing information campaigns about the COVID-19. | Photo courtesy of Lapu-Lapu PIO

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines — Two hundred ninety eight (298) of the 300 contact tracers hired by the Department of Interior and Local Government in Lapu-Lapu (DILG-Lapu-Lapu) will start their contact tracing duties today, October 15, 2020.

Jonah Pino, DILG Lapu-Lapu officer in charge, said that two of the hired contact tracers were found positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and had to be isolated.

Read: Contact tracer in Lapu tests positive for COVID-19

“There were two who tested positive during the swab test. Before they attended any activities here, there were swab man as part of the requirement of the issuance of the medical certificate. So immediately, those two nga found to be COVID positive were isolated during this time,” Pino said.

Out of the 300 contact tracers, Pino said that 240 of them had already signed a contract, good for 3 months of service, while the rest were still complying with their requirements.

Each contact tracers will receive a salary of more than P18,000.

Aside from their contact tracing duties, Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan also said that these contact tracers would also be deployed to educate the public about the virus.

“Ang ila ra gyung trabaho is to go down to different households nga ilahang ma-interview and they can give education, kun unsa si COVID, mao gihapon, to follow the health protocol,” Chan said.

(Their job is to go down to the different household that they interviewed and they can give education about what COVID is. Still they should follow health protocols.)

The 298 contact tracers underwent a seminar in Lapu-Lapu before they will be deployed today, Oct. 15.

Meanwhile,  Winston Cosep, 27-years-old and a hired contact tracer, also admitted that their job was very risky, especially that they would be tasked to identify those who had been exposed to a COVID-19 positive patient.

Despite this, Cosep said that he was no longer afraid especially that before he got hired as a contact tracer, he already volunteered as a driver in the Lapu-Lapu City Health Office.

“Maayo na lang sab ni makatabang sab ta sa siyudad ba. Unya para mabalik na sab kay kapoy na sab kaayo ning quarantine times nato, ECQ, GCQ,” Cosep said.

(This is better at least we can help the city. And then we can help return to the time before the pandemic because I am tired with this quarantine that we had, ECQ, GCQ. )

/dbs