COVID-19 cases at PCOO main office rise to 19

July 26, 2020

The number of personnel infected with coronavirus disease from the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) main office in Malacañang increased to 19, Secretary Martin Andanar said on Sunday.

“We regret to inform everyone that, as of 2:10 pm of July 26, we have 19 COVID-19 active cases among our personnel who were infected while performing their duties to the public,” Andanar said in a statement.

He said some of the infected personnel were involved in the production of communication materials and TV and radio programs, which support their daily briefings.

Andanar said after receiving the confirmation last July 21, they immediately conducted testing and contact tracing of primary and secondary contacts of the patient among their staff to minimize the transmission of the virus.

“From thereon, we have intensified our testing and contact tracing to include all of our skeleton workforce in order to ensure everyone’s safety,” he said.

“We continue to assist and support the family of those who have been infected by COVID-19, in the same way we ensure the safety of all of our personnel against the virus,” he added.

Of the 19 COVID-19 cases in PCOO main office, 17 are still active cases and one death last April.

There are also coronavirus cases under other attached agencies of the PCOO - APO Production Unit, Inc., one active case and one death last July 6; Philippine Information Agency, two cases; PTV-4, one case; and Radio-Television Malacañang, two cases.

To further intensify their initiatives and actions in addressing the situation, Andanar said a COVID-19 Response Team was formed to coordinate all of the office’s efforts on contact tracing, testing, monitoring, and isolation/quarantine.

“Rest assured that the delivery of essential and timely information to the Filipino public will continue despite the unfortunate circumstance we are facing. As work at the New Executive Building (NEB) remains suspended, we continue to adopt a work-from-home arrangement in order to fulfill our obligations and mandate to the Filipino people,” he said.

Because of the incident, the RTVM will be under a two-week lockdown after two of its personnel tested positive for the virus.

It is also conducting contact tracing and testing for those who had close contact with the said personnel.

“For tomorrow’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), RTVM will be deploying a different team composed of individuals who had no contact with the infected personnel. A contingency plan is also being put into place,” said Andanar.

“We will continue to support our colleagues and pray for their speedy recovery, as we endeavor with the whole Duterte administration and all our fellow Filipinos to heal and rise as one nation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said no staff member from the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson was tested positive for COVID-19.

Andanar said three separate Zoom viewing rooms were prepared for President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.

The viewing rooms are for the Cabinet officials, local chief executives, Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials, and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

“These virtual viewing rooms will cater to select individuals who cannot be physically present during the address,” he said. Ella Dionisio/DMS