BiliranIsland.com Staff
BiliranIsland.com
First Posted 09:20 PM 6/19/2020
Biliran, Biliran— “I won’t sacrifice the livelihood of my constituents just because one person in town is COVID-19 positive.”
This was the reaction of Mayor Grace Casil of this town, during an interview this morning when asked if she would declare a lockdown after one of her constituents tested positive for COVID-19.
Mayor Casil said that she won’t allow a lockdown because she does not want to hamper the living of her constituents and she does not want to give fear to the people of the town. She continued that life in Biliran is normal as if nothing happened.
But she added that the residents should keep on praying that the pandemic will end soon and hopes too that no other case will follow. Still they expect the worst, but she assured that the LGU Biliran is very much ready.
Mayor Casil said that no less than the Regional Director of the Department of Health Dr. Minerva Molon informed her yesterday that a local resident here was tested positive for COVID-19 after a swab test was taken from the patient. She said that the patient from Brgy. San Isidro is a Locally Stranded Individual (LSI) from Manila. The 27 yr old male patient arrived at the Biliran border from Manila on board a private van about 2:00 p.m. on June 11.
The mayor disclosed that Municipal Health Officer Dr. Jonathan Antonio met the patient at the border and directly brought him to the isolation unit. She said that contact tracing was ocompleted last night and Dr. Antonio informed her about their accomplishment in this activity. tracing.
Mayor Casim added that after the report of Dr. Antonio was submitted, they met with MDRRM Officer Emmanuel Nierras and Myra Morales about their preparation should another resident in the municipality will become positive with the virus. They adjourned at 1:00 a.m.
Dr. Antonio disclosed that among those that they conducted contact tracing were the two persons who were with the positive patient at the isolation unit. The two continue to stay in isolation and, like the positive patient, they are asymptomatic.
Dr. Antonio went to say that one of the positive patient’s companion in the van going to Naval is from Brgy. Burabod, but is currently asymptomatic and turned out negative in the RT-PCR test. He further disclosed that the patient’s other companions at the van from Manila were one driver, three passengers from Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte, two from Leyte, Leyte and two from Biliran.
Meanwhile, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer Emmanuel Nierras told media that they are presently preparing moderate bed isolation facilities in every barangay. He said that due to the influx of Balik Probinsya returnees, other quarantine facilities in the municipality have been overwhelmed.
He added that last June 16, as recommended by their MHO, they have temporarily closed several facilities and stopped accepting LSIs, like the facilities in San Isidro, San Roque, Pinangumhan and Busali, which are now full of persons under quarantine.
Nierras continued that when the 14 day quarantine of the LSI returnees in the said facilities will be completed, they will start to accept again on June 29.
“Wag tayong manlumo kasi ganito talaga ngayon. Hindi lang dito sa atin kundi itong epidemya na ito, this is for the entire nation,” Mayor Casil stressed, as she explained that this is not only happening in Biliran.
The mayor also asked her constituents to keep on praying, to face the consequences and be ready. – BiliranIsland.com
