Mass testing set in Mankayan on Dec. 16-17

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- At least 4,500 residents in the town of Mankayan are being targeted for the mass testing tentatively set on December 16 and 17, 2020.

Mayor Frenzel Ayong said the local government is closely coordinating with the representatives of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) for the conduct of the mass testing in the mine camp and the different barangays following the recent surge of Covid – 19 cases.

The request for mass testing was facilitated by the Regional Task Force on Covid – 19 through Civil Defense – Cordillera Regional Director Albert Mogol in coordination with the National Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (NTF – EID).

With the increase of cases in the municipality in the past weeks particularly at the mine camp and the adjoining barangays of Poblacion, Tabio, Cabiten and Colalo, the LGU already conducted Covid- 19 testing through the contact tracing of Covid- 19 cases while the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company also conducted its expanded testing for its more than 1,000 employees.

As of December 9, Mankayan already recorded 405 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 342 active cases, 62 recoveries and one death.

Last month, the NTF- EID held an Aggressive Community Testing in coordination with the local government units of Baguio City and Benguet, thru the BCDA and John Hay Management Corporation, to at least 5,000 individuals in Baguio City, La Trinidad, Itogon and Tuba following the increasing number of cases in the identified LGUs.