DILG hires more contact tracers

CEBU, Philippines —  The Department of the Interior and Local Government has  started hiring 50,000 contact tracers following the signing into law of the “Bayanihan to Recover as One Act” or Bayanihan 2 Law.

Secretary Eduardo M. Año said the additional 50,000 contact tracers are “the game-changer in the country’s COVID-response since this will allow us to cut the transmission of the disease and ultimately defeat COVID-19.”

 There are currently 97,400 contact tracers nationwide. The hiring of additional contact tracers will fill the gap to reach the target of 150,000 contact tracers.

DILG-7 regional director Leocadio Trovela said these contact tracers are tasked to conduct case interviews, profiling, and perform initial public health risk assessment of COVID-19 cases and their identified close contacts.

 Trovela said these additional contact tracers will augment the existing teams of the local government units in Central Visayas. 

Atty. Ian Kenneth Lucero, chief of the DILG-7 Local Government Monitoring and Evaluation Division, said hiring additional contact tracers will ensure accurate and timely conduct of contact tracing activities and reporting of COVID-19 surveillance data.

According to Año, the additional 50,000 contact tracers will meet the Magalong formula of tracing 37 close contacts of 1 COVID patient up to the 3rd degree.

Applicants must have at least a bachelor’s degree relevant to the job, preferably allied Medical Course or Criminology.

 Preferred experience for a contact tracer include any of the following: must be skilled in data gathering and/or assisted in research and documentation; must be able to interview COVID-19 cases and close contacts in order to gather data on travel history and conduct health assessments; must possess the ability to advocate public health education messages; and must have investigative capability.

Interested applicants in Central Visayas should submit a letter of intent, personal data sheet, National Bureau of Investigation clearance, and drug test result to the DILG offices in the province or in the highly urbanized cities.

Successful applicants will receive a monthly salary of P18,784. — FPL (FREEMAN)