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Members of the zoning containment strategy kiosk in a huddle outside the premises of Magnakron Oleo Phils. Inc., where 18 factory workers are in an isolation facility of the company after being found infected with the Covid-19 virus.

173 Mambulao factory workers cleared of virus after swab tests; two found positive

 

By ALFREDO P. HERNANDEZ

 

Tensions and fears among the Mambulao town residents in CamNorte cooled off today after the 173 workers at a local factory were cleared of Covid-19 virus following their swab tests last night.

“Yesterday and last night, the 175 employees (of Magnakron Oleo Phils, Inc.), went through Antigen (swab) tests, and only two were found positive,” says Mayor Ariel M. Non in his Facebook post today, updating the crisis at the premises of the factory.

He identified the two recent cases as the company security guard and a factory worker.

They have been confined to the municipal isolation facility at Jomapa Convention Center in town.

The cleared workers have been allowed to go home to their families “without fear of having the virus”, the mayor said.

“We have received the workers’ ‘thank you (for the assurance,” he added.

Most of the workers cleared of the virus live with their families in town.

Non said that the company has continued to swab test its employees while the LGU team stationed outside of the company premises monitors the situation.

The LGU team comprises the Municipal Health Office,  the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO), the municipal unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Baranggay Osmenia personnel, and the zoning containment strategy kiosk staff.

Earlier, Magnakron Oleo has been locked down after 18 of its factory workers were found positive of the Covid-19 virus.

The mayor's executive order to contain the crisis at the premises of the factory.

They are now at an isolation facility within the company premises at Baranggay Osmenia, about two kilometers from the Mambulao town proper.

Strict health protocols have been imposed around the factory premises.

The company lockdown will stay for two weeks (from yesterday, Thursday) but may be extended if the MDRRMO found the need for it.

Non said in an executive order issued the other day that “no one may go out of, or enter, the company premises without the negative result of antigen RT-PCR (swab) test”.

Residents have expressed relief after Non assured them that the crisis at Magnakron has been contained.

They have thanked the mayor for the quick action carried out to deal with the “scary situation” at the factory.

Meanwhile, contact tracing is continuing to find out the persons who had contacts with the infected factory workers.

Places visited by the infected workers will be disinfected within 24-48 hours, using chemicals cleared by the Department of Health in coordination with the LGU sanitation officer.

Weekly disinfection jobs will be carried out, the executive order said.

 

 

A location map showing the barangay where Magnakron Oleo operates its coconut processing factory.