TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The city ordered the immediate closure of existing tourist sites and the temporary suspension of the conduct of tourism-related activities in the light of the surge in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases not only in the city but also in the whole province over the past several weeks.
Mayor Darwin C. Estran͂ero advised tourism operators, resort, camping and picnic ground owners to cooperate with the recent issuance of the city inter-agency task force for the management of emerging infectious diseases to support the ongoing initiatives of the local government to contain the surge in the number of cases provincewide.
He urged the local tourism industry stakeholders and the residents to continue abiding by the implementation of the basic health and safety protocols during these pandemic times as there has been a reported significant increase in the number of COVID cases.
The local chief executive stated that since the city and the province had been included in the areas under general community quarantine (GCQ), there is a need for the local government to impose the appropriate restrictions that will deter the movement of people to contain the spread of the virus among the populace.
According to him, residents should refrain from going to the different recreational sites in the city as part of their contribution in the efforts to abate the further spread of the virus among the members of the vulnerable sectors and prevent the local health care system from being compromised and the frontliners from being unduly stressed.
Mayor Estran͂ero expressed hope that the residents will continue to be patient in complying with the various advisories that are being issued because local officials and health authorities value the health and safety of the people above anything else for them to be able to hurdle the challenges imposed by the prevailing pandemic.
The city mayor stipulated that what is being prioritized by the local government is the health and safety of the people that is why the recent issued advisories are geared towards protecting the residents from contracting the virus for them to remain healthy and be productive citizens once the prevailing community quarantine guidelines will be eased up in the future once the situation gets better with the arrival of the vaccines for the majority of the populace.
On the other hand, Estran͂ero disclosed that the local government is speeding up the operation of its molecular laboratory to help in significantly reducing the turnaround time in the release of the swab test results of individuals who are required to undergo the reverse transcription polymerase chain (RT-PCR) test and the 100-bed city isolation unit in barangay Agbannawag to cater to the isolation requirements of suspected and probable COVID cases from the city so that existing health facilities and isolation centers will not be congested with the surge in the number of COVID cases.
He expressed his gratitude to the residents for their continuous understanding and cooperation to the implementation of varying guidelines governing the movement of the people in the city because the support of everyone is needed for the country to hurdle the effect of the prevailing pandemic to mankind. By HENT