DepEd: Isabela teachers did not get virus from module distribution

An official from the Department of Education denied that the 10 public school teachers did not acquire COVID-19 in Isabela during the learning module distribution.

DepEd Region II director Estela Leon-Cariño clarified that only 10 and not 11 reported recently got infected in Ilagan, Isabela.

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“The Schools Division Office of the City of Ilagan further clarifies that such unfortunate event has nothing to do whatsoever with the distribution of self-learning modules or any materials to that effect,” she added.

Cariño said local policy clearly said that the teachers would only need to drop-off the modules at the barangay halls, and the barangay officials would do the actual distribution.

Another DepEd official said the incident is “not work-related and not connected to the distribution of modules.”

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However, the education department confirmed that all teachers work at the same school. Nine of them were exposed to the first patient, who was acquired COVID-19 from a neighbor.

The infected teacher “reported because the rapid test came out negative. But after the swab, (it was) positive,” said DepEd, citing data from the regional office.

Also read: 11 teachers in Isabela contract COVID-19 after distributing modules

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DepEd: Isabela teachers did not get virus from module distribution

It still unclear what the teachers were doing during the time they were exposed to the colleague.

Despite the incident, the DepED regional office noted that “precautionary measures were in place” to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) decided to revert the city to stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until October 16 because of the incident and surge in COVID-19 cases in the province.

Meanwhile, the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) urged DepEd to ensure medical assistance for teachers, especially those required to report to schools despite the work-from-home arrangement policy.

“We have counted 102 cases, including the president of our chapter in Metro Manila who have already recovered,” TDC chair Benjo Basas said in Filipino, referring to the number of teachers who contracted the disease.

As of August, the DepEd data showed that 823 students, teachers, and non-teaching personnel within the agency had acquired COVID-19.