MANILA – Kukuha uli ang Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) ng 15,000 contact tracers (CTs) upang matiyak na tuluy-tuloy ang contact tracing kasunod ng pagpasok ng bagong strain ng COVID-19 sa bansa.
Sa isang pahayag, sinabi ng DILG na inaprubahan na ng Department of Budget and Management (DBM) ang P1.9 bilyong pondo para rito. Ag mga kukuning contact tracers ay magtatrabaho sa loob ng anim na buwan.
“While the country’s COVID-19 response is significantly improving, we should sustain our contact tracing efforts especially with the reported entry of the new UK coronavirus variant into the country,” nakasaad sa pahayag ng DILG.
“We are pleased that we have been given the funds to re-hire some 15,000 CTs this year who will continue to help us track down, monitor coronavirus cases, and cut transmission in the community,” wika naman ni DILG Undersecretary at spokesperson Jonathan Malaya.
Ayon kay Malaya, nais ng DILG na kunin ang lahat ng 50,000 CTs na kinuha nila noong nakaraang taon ngunit hindi ito natuloy dahil sa limitasyon sa pondo.
“Much as we would like to continue the services of all the 50,000 CTs hired in 2020, we need to have a more rational number of CTs and work within the available budget allotted to the Department,” paliwanag ni Malaya.
Inutusan na ng DILG ang mga field office nito at mga local government unit na magsagawa ng assessment sa performance ng contact tracers bago pumili ng mga kukunin. (AI/FC/MTVN)
