City assures meat supply as abattoir closes for 14 days

THE CITY government assured residents of a steady supply of meat even with the closing of the abattoir for 14 days.

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong said Friday the city veterinary and agriculture office is doing appropriate measures to assure a steady supply of meat products for the residents.

Magalong issued Executive Order 1342020 early evening on Thursday suspending the operation and closing for 14 days of the Baguio City abattoir and the livestock market for hogs and goats.

The 14- day period started at 10 a.m. on September 25 and will run until 11:59 p.m. on October 9.

He said re- assessment of the risk of transmission would be done on October 2 to determine if operations could resume earlier.

Magalong issued the order after clustering of cases was seen in the link analysis and geo- tagging at the city's contact tracing operations center in City Hall.

Contact tracing and testing yielded positive results for coronavirus disease 2019 ( Covid19) of several persons working at the abattoir and the livestock market.

"Our city veterinarian, along with our contact tracing analysts and field medical officers, have recommended to close and suspend operations to allow workers to undergo quarantine and while disinfection and contact tracing are still being conducted," Magalong said.

Three puroks in Barangay Sto. Niño – Greenhills, Ayala, and Divisoria, where the abattoir is located – were earlier placed under hard lockdown for 14 days due to the clustering of cases and residents’ violation of basic safety protocols.

As of September 21, the city has recorded 38 Covid-19 infections in the three areas.