The Central Luzon Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) met on Saturday with local officials in Masinloc, Zambales to discuss strategies on how to curb the rising cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

The regional IATF, headed by chairperson Maria Theresa Escolano, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense-3, reiterated the adoption of prevent-detect-isolate-treat-reintegrate strategy under the National Action Plan to fight the dreaded disease.

Escolano also cited the zoning containment strategy as an effective tool in containing the spread of the dreaded disease.

During the meeting, local officials of Masinloc shared their actions taken and innovations in terms of detection, testing, and isolation during the sudden spike of Covid-19 cases in the town, particularly at the Power Saver, a San Miguel Corporation (SMC)-owned company inside Masinloc Power Plant.

As per report of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management, the local government of Masinloc and the SMC conducted mass swabbing tests among the personnel at the power plant and thorough contact tracing to identify those who had been with the employees.

As of August 28, a total of 1,766 employees and close contacts have been swabbed, of which 210 yielded positive results.

Those confirmed Covid-19 patients were brought to the President Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Hospital in Iba town while those waiting for results were temporarily sheltered at Bani Elementary and National High School in Masinloc.

Masinloc town mayor Arsenia Lim said they are exerting all-out efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Lim also said that they provided steam bathrooms, mobile X-ray and testing booths that could boost capacities against the dreaded disease.

Before the end of the meeting, the regional IATF distributed 100 full sets of personal protective equipment (PPE), 1,000 pieces of surgical face mask, and bottles of alcohol to the local task force of Masinloc. (PNA)