The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), through the Office of the Global Media and Public Affairs (OGMPA), will walk viewers through the extensive contact tracing process of Baguio City that enabled them to contain the spread of COVID-19 and safely reopen their tourism industry, in the 6th episode of the Laging Handa Dokyu series entitled: “Baguio: Contact Tracing.”
“Baguio is considered as a model city for its extensive COVID-19 response. The city’s tourism industry is greatly stricken by the pandemic, as well as the livelihoods that depend on it,” said Presidential Communications Secretary Martin M. Andanar.
“There is no doubt that the city has an effective contact tracing strategy. That’s why, Mayor Benjamin Magalong was designated as the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 Tracing Czar. As Baguio City’s response against COVID-19 stood out among the local government units in the country, they were able to reopen their economy in order to recover from the pandemic,” he added.
Mayor Magalong said that their proactive measures in response to COVID-19 are ready, as Baguio reopened its doors to tourists from select regions in Luzon last October 22, 2020.
“I can assure you that your local government unit is on top of the situation. We have the best contact tracing in the entire country. We also have an adequate number of isolation facilities. We will never compromise the safety and health of our residents and, at the same time, our visitors,” said Mayor Magalong.
The city government also urges tourists to follow the national health protocols to safely enjoy Baguio City and its cool climate under the new normal.
“We created this informative short documentary to provide first-hand experience of Baguio City’s processes to monitor and control the spread of COVID-19 from the entry to the city, up until the tracing of close contacts. This is to show how the public, and the national and local government can collectively learn how to live with the virus in the new normal, while we wait for a vaccine,” said PCOO Assistant Secretary JV Arcena, who is the production head and executive producer of the Laging Handa Dokyu series.
The succeeding episodes of the Laging Handa Dokyu series will include the operation inside the Philippine Red Cross’ vaccine and clinical trials, as well as the country’s various studies on local herbal medicines and supplements to find the possible cure for COVID-19, the story of our indigenous peoples amid the pandemic, the best practices of local government units, and the experiences of some government officials hit by COVID-19.
Catch “Baguio: Contact Tracing” this Sunday at 9:30 PM on PTV-4 and IBC-13. It will also be livestreamed on the Presidential Communications Operations Office, NTF COVID-19, and DOH Facebook pages, as well as other government-affiliated social media pages.
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