Koreans in mega-dam project under monitoring for COVID-19

By Jennifer P. Rendon and Emme Rose Santiagudo

MORE or less 100 Koreans working on the P11.2-billion Jalaur River Multipurpose Project (JRMP) II or mega-dam project in Calinog, Iloilo are being monitored by the local government amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

Mayor Francisco Calvo of Calinog said the Calinog Task Force was tasked to monitor the arrival of Koreans and other personnel at the dam project.

Korean construction firm Daewoo Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd. is undertaking the P11.2-billion dam project.

“May ginpa-assign ko sa Daewoo sa compound nila nga task force and PNP nga kon may maabot gina-monitor and ginapacheck,” he said.

Presently, Calvo said there are around 100 Koreans at the JRMP II construction compound. Last week, four South Koreans arrived at the construction site.

“The four were monitored and they were all healthy. Wala sila nag-show any signs and symptoms,” he said.

The four already left the area as they only visited the site for a survey.

Calvo said he directed the municipal health office and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to monitor the status of Korean workers at the multibillion-peso dam project.

“Ginapa-check na naton sila especially ang mga bag-o nag-alabot nga Koreans. Gina-patutukan gid naton para indi ta di malatnan sang coronavirus,” he said in a press conference Wednesday.

The Jalaur Project held its groundbreaking and capsule-laying ceremony last February 27, 2019.

The dam, which is a flagship project of the National Irrigation Authority (NIA)-Visayas, is the first large-scale reservoir outside of Luzon and is expected to be completed by 2022.

According to channelnewsasia.com, South Korea announced its first rise in new coronavirus cases for five days on Wednesday (Mar 11), following a run of declines that have raised hopes the outbreak is coming under control.

South Korea was the first country to report significant coronavirus numbers outside China, where the disease first emerged, and remains one of the world’s worst-affected countries despite being overtaken by both Italy and Iran in declared cases.

A total of 242 infections were confirmed Tuesday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, taking the country’s total to 7,755.

Six more people died, it added, with the toll rising to 60.

 

PROTOCOLS

Calvo said an emergency meeting will be organized to lay down the protocols and other precautionary measures against Covid-19.

“We will call for an emergency meeting. Ang aton nga 59 ka barangays were also instructed to activate their barangay health emergency response teams (BHERTs),” Calvo said.

Meanwhile, Calvo said the town will comply with Executive Order No. 028-B which suspends the holding of public events involving a large number of attendees for a period of 45 days in Iloilo province.