Mass testing in Bontoc town continues

Bontoc, Mountain Province – As the mass testing continues in the capital town, 1,157 individuals have already been tested, according to Bontoc PIO.

Bontoc PIO said the free mass testing is an immediate response by the national government to a letter by Mayor Franklin Odsey requesting for intervention and assistance for the municipality on its response against Covid-19 virus.

Mass testing today, January 28 is done to residents of Barangays Poblacion and Callutit.

Of the individuals tested, 430 come from Barangay Samoki, 144 are from Barangay Tocucan and 583 are from Barangay Bontoc Ili.

The aggressive community testing by the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 through the Bases Conversion and Development Authority and the Bureau of Fire Protection targets 5,000 tests prioritizing aforementioned barangays as a measure to control the further spread of the Covid-19 virus especially with the UK Covid-19 variant having entered the municipality.

Priority individuals for the mass testing are frontliners, owners of business establishment and their employees, tricycle operators and drivers, uniformed personnel, government workers, senior citizens, persons with comorbidities, and pregnant women.

In a statement by Mayor, he reminded individuals who availed of the free RT-PCR test to submit themselves for home quarantine until result of swab test will be released. He also expressed his gratitude to the provincial government of Mountain Province as well as to the Regional Inter-agency Task Force for their assistance on the conduct of said activity.

Earlier, 12 of the 16 detected UK variant of Covid-19 virus were found in the municipality last week, with succeeding reports showing contacts of those positive with the new variant were infected.