By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – The Victorias City Hall in Negros Occidental was placed under lockdown starting Monday due to the surge in COVID-19 cases among employees.
Victorias City Mayor Francis Frederick Palanca said the city hall will be closed until May 7 to give way to disinfection.
The city hall is expected to reopen on May 10.
Palanca said a worker from a tailoring shop located behind the Victorias Cultural Center and just a few blocks away from Victorias City Hall of Justice passed away due to COVID-19, and another employee from the same shop had tested positive.
He said the tailoring shop is also located right beside another shop which is frequented by city hall employees.
It became a hot spot as most of the city hall employees who frequented the establishment also tested positive for COVID-19.
The mayor did not state as to how many employees have been infected.
As of May 3, 2021 Victorias City has a total of 85 active cases.
Although the city hall and the annex building are closed, Palanca said city employees will continue to work by adopting a work-from-home arrangement during the period.
The infected employees, meanwhile, are already at the city’s quarantine facility.
Contact tracing is also being conducted.
