Five courts in this province were placed under a 14-day lockdown after their staff members contracted the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Second Vice Executive Judge Corazon Domingo-Rañola of the Bulacan Regional Trial Court (RTC) said on Tuesday the courts ordered to close down from January 10 to 22 were the RTC Branch Nos. 6, 11, 14, 103, and 104 after their employees tested positive for Covid-19 last January 7 and 8.
Rañola said that she ordered the lockdown of the court branches to prevent transmission of the virus and for all close contact personnel to undergo swab testing and be placed on strict home quarantine.
“Disinfection of these offices was also held,” she said in an interview.
However, Rañola said those courts will remain accessible to the public through their official hotline numbers and judiciary email accounts to address urgent matters.
Judges may work through email or video conferencing with the permission of the Office of the Court Administrator.
Meanwhile, 45 personnel of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Bulacan First District Engineering Office also tested positive for Covid-19 after a mass antigen testing held Monday.
District Engineer Henry Alcantara told the Philippine News Agency that he ordered the disinfection of every department office and the entire office ground.
As of January 10, Bulacan recorded 970 new Covid-19 cases in the past four days, increasing active cases to 5,241.
Source: Philippines News Agency
