DILG: 48,000 contact tracers hired, deployed to LGUs

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Saturday said that almost 50,000 contact tracers have already been hired and deployed to various local government units (LGUs) all over the country.

“We are now at 96.15% of our target of 50,000 contact tracers nationwide,” Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said during state-run PTV’s Laging Handa briefing.

“Nakapag-hire na po tayo ng 48,074 contact tracers. They have been hired, trained, and deployed. Sila po ay nasa mga LGUs at sila ay nagko-contact trace na,” Malaya said.

The 50,000 contact tracers target was prescribed under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, which will augment the government’s contact-tracing force.

“We now have a ‘contact tracing army’ deployed to all LGUs in the country,” Malaya said.

Among the responsibilities of contact tracers are to conduct interviews, profiling, and perform an initial public health risk assessment of COVID-19 cases and their identified close contacts; refer the close contacts to isolation facilities; conduct enhanced contact tracing in collaboration with other agencies and private sector; conduct daily monitoring of close and general contacts for at least 14 days, and perform such other tasks concerning the COVID-19 response.

Under the guidelines set by the DILG, contact tracers will earn a minimum of P18,784 per month on a contract of service status.

The contract tracers will be a part of the Contact Tracing Teams led by the Municipal/City Health Officers with members from the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTS), and volunteers from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). — DVM, GMA News