A total of 33 Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) personnel mostly in Tagbilaran City were placed under isolation after they were identified as close contacts of an employee of the agency who tested positive for COVID-19.

According to Tagbilaran City Fire Station chief Sr. Insp. Marlyn Macatangay, those transferred to an isolation facility included 29 of her personnel while the others were from Panglao, Cortes and Baclayon.

The isolated BFP personnel are set to undergo another round of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.

Earlier, all employees of BFP Bohol were subjected to swab testing.

Some 50 of those tested were from the Tagbilaran Fire Station and one of them, a 40-year-old man, tested positive for the disease, said Macatangay.

“Last duty niya noong Tuesday [last week] kasi gi swab sila ng Wednesday. Mandatory sa amin na tanang BFP personnel mag undergo ng PCR test,” she said.

The BFP official noted that it was likely that the BFP employee was infected through community transmission as he had not contact with a person who had recent travel history.

He also was not part of the BFP’s decontamination team which meets arriving LSIs and overseas Filipinos workers at seaports and the Bohol Panglao International Airport.

“Yung yung tingin naming [community transmission] kasi wala siyang contact sa mga LSI. Di din siya member ng decon team natin,” she said.

The Tagbilanan City Fire Station meanwhile remained fully operational as it was not placed on lockdown.

Decontamination of its facilities however were conducted after the positive case was reported by health authorities.

The BFP personnel was one of five new COVID-19 cases in Tagbilaran City announced on Monday night. The others included two LSIs, one OFW and one resident with no travel history. (A. Doydora)