The Department of Public Works and Highways 12 in Koronadal City. (Photo courtesy of DPWH-12)
KORONADAL CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 12 (Soccsksargen) has closed down its office compound here for at least three days after one of its personnel was exposed to a coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patient.
Basir Ibrahim, DPWH-12 director, said Friday the closure aimed to facilitate the conduct of contact tracing and the disinfection of all offices and facilities within their compound.
Ibrahim said the concerned employee, who is assigned at their finance division, was confirmed “to have been in direct contact” with a Covid-19 patient.
The latter, currently in stable condition, has not reported for work since September 1 and remains isolated and following quarantine protocols, he said.
“(Initial) contact tracing was already conducted to determine who among co-workers had any direct contact with the said (employee),” Ibrahim said in an advisory.
As a preemptive measure, he said they decided to “physically close” their office from Thursday to Saturday.
The regional public works office is just beside the Provincial Capitol compound of South Cotabato, the provincial hospital, and other government offices.
He said they adopted a work-from-home arrangement for all officials and employees but assigned a skeleton workforce to sustain their operations, for emergency purposes, and to facilitate the disinfection.
Ibrahim said they continue to evaluate the situation and exert all efforts to mitigate any risk to their employees, stakeholders, and other concerned individuals.
As part of the standard health measures adopted by the regional office, he assured that they have been monitoring the health condition of their personnel and conducting regular disinfection and sanitization of their offices, facilities, and equipment.
“We assure the public that all necessary measures and health protocols are being observed strictly and faithfully in our day-to-day operations,” Ibrahim said, adding that they are prepared and are taking “strong actions” to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on their employees, stakeholders, and the public. (PNA)
