The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) has strengthened the composition of its contract tracing team for a more systematic and comprehensive work of locating possible coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the province.
Major Edison Garcia, NOCPPO public information officer, said over the weekend they reorganized the team last Thursday, based on the directive of the Department of the Interior Local Government (DILG).
Under DILG Memorandum Circular 2020-073, which provides the “Guidelines for the Conduct of Expanded Testing Procedures for Covid-19”, the Philippine National Police (PNP) is to lead the contract tracing.
The Provincial Contact Tracing Team, which is comprised of eight members, is led by an investigator from the NOCPPO Provincial Investigation and Detection Unit and assisted by a member of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Negros Occidental.
They are joined by personnel from the Provincial Intelligence Unit and police nurses assigned at NOCPPO headquarters.
The team is working closely with the Provincial Health Office for the maximum and timely sharing of information.
All city and municipal police stations are also tasked to organize their respective contact tracing teams, which will become part of the contact tracing network in Negros Occidental.
NegOcc 4 confirmed Covid-19 cases Patient No. 1, a 41-year-old woman from E.B. Magalona, has already recovered while Patient No. 2, a 43-year-old male of La Castellana, is under quarantine in the patient care center of the central Negros town.
Patient No. 3 is a 38-year-old man, who traveled from The Netherlands and arrived in the Philippines on March 24. He is a resident of Silay City.
Patient No. 4, a 41-year-old man, arrived in the country from Ireland on March 17. He is from Candoni town.
On its Facebook post, the provincial government has corrected the profile of the fourth patient, who was initially identified as a 50-year-old male OFW from Finland. (Nanette Guadalquiver ndb via pna)