La Trinidad, Benguet to go on one-day lockdown for disinfection, contact tracing

Benguet, PHILIPPINES — La Trinidad, Benguet's capital town, will be under extreme enhanced community quarantine (EECQ) starting March 30 to March 31 to facilitate contact tracing and massive disinfection after two patients there were found positive for COVID-19. 

La Trinidad Mayor Romeo Salda on Friday afternoon issued an executive order placing the entire town under EECQ from 12 midnight of Monday to 12 midnight of Tuesday. 

He said that the Department of Health-Cordillera in its COVID-19 regional updates noted that there already two laboratory confirmed cases in Benguet.

The two COVID-19 cases are from Barangays Poblacion and Puguis in La Trinidad. One is a six-year-old child and the other is an Overseas Filipino Worker who arrived from Hong Kong.

The child was already discharged from a private hospital in Baguio City and is in stable condition.  The OFW is presently confined and is also in stable condition.

Salda said that there is a need for an extensive contact tracing by the town’s health workers. He added they will be assisted by personnel of the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and other law enforcement agencies to apply procedures of investigation.

As a result of the EECQ, all roads leading to La Trinidad, including barangay roads, will be closed except for emergency situations. 

All establishments will be closed except for sari-sari stores that are allowed to operate from 9 a.m to 1 p.m. during the EECQ dates.