Around half of the provincial government employees in Tagbilaran City were allowed to return to work on Monday following the two-day closure of the Capitol’s offices in the city for disinfection last week due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

The New Capitol Building and the province’s other offices in the city reopened with 114 employees confirmed to have contracted the disease as of Sunday night.

“Today mo abli for 50 percent lang sa tanang empleyado ang mo report sa Kapitolyo apil na ani ang extension provincial government offices outside Capitol,” said Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office chief Anthony Damalerio.

According to Damalerio, the offices that will open include the Office of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development, TaRSIER 117, Provincial Engineering Office, the Provincial Motorpool and Office of the Provincial Veterinarian.

Meanwhile, the other half of the Capitol employees in the city will be working from home.

Damalerio said that all of the COVID-stricken individuals have been directed to undergo quarantine while others were placed in the province’s Central Isolation Center.

Majority of the infected workers were asymptomatic while others were only experiencing mild symptoms.

“I think 16 percent lang of the figure is symptomatic pero mild symptoms ra pud. Gipang ubo og sip-on, no need for hospitalization,” Damalerio said.

In accordance with guidelines issued by the Provincial Health Office, employees who have been traced to be first-generation contacts of COVID-positive individuals were directed to complete their 14-day quarantine even if they yield a negative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction result.

On the other hand, second-generation contacts who have tested negative for the disease were already cleared to report for work. (R. Tutas)