I am issuing this circular to give the members of the community an accurate account of where we are right now concerning the health and safety concern that has preoccupied us the past weeks.
Three of our colleagues have tested positive and are currently confined in a government facility where they will complete the mandatory quarantine and await clearance and release by the Department of Health. Of the three, one was found to be positive of the virus last August 19 while the other two were informed last August 28 that they tested positive. As of last contact with them via phone call, they have reported that they are well and are not experiencing any Covid-19 related symptoms.
The rest of the teachers in our contact list remain to be confined at home save for three who are securely quarantined at our school gym. All of them hope to be cleared by the time they complete the mandatory 14-day quarantine after swabbing. Meanwhile, we have given them strict instructions to isolate themselves until the release of their swab results.
We have also disinfected the campus twice, the last of which was last Saturday, August 29, concentrating on those areas frequented by those who are on quarantine. Meanwhile, we ask all faculty and staff to work from home on Tuesday, September 1, as our maintenance personnel will have to clean up our premises of any residue from the disinfection process. Please make sure that you take instructions and coordinate with your respective supervisors regarding work on Tuesday. Also, the facilities at our old campus will be made available to teachers who are not able to conduct online classes at home.
As to work arrangements in the next two weeks, please wait for further instructions as we await the release of announcement and guidelines by the IATF and our local government. Online classes will however go on as usual as students will be studying at home.
In summary, we assure the entire community that we have been and continue to be in close coordination with the Mayor’s Office, the City Health Office, and the local office of the Department of Health from Day 1, August 16, when Employee A reported close contact with a Covid-19 positive individual. We have also received guidance and taken instructions from these offices. We are grateful to these offices for all the assistance that they have extended to us in terms of disinfecting our premises, swabbing those in our contact list, advising us on quarantine procedures and guiding us in the general handling of the situation.
Rest assured as well that we have followed all procedures and protocols to the best of our ability. We continue to clean and disinfect the whole campus, following our safety and health protocols, so our personnel, parents, and guardians can rest assured that our campus is safe enough for the usual conduct of business.
It is unfortunate though that one of the outcomes of this event is that some of our personnel are now held suspect of being carriers of the virus and may possibly be suffering from discrimination. We ask all employees who will be needing ass
istance in this matter to kindly coordinate with our Human Resource Office. Our legal counsel will be working closely with the relevant local agencies to explore ways of addressing this concern.
Ignatius of Loyola counsels that we should be indifferent before all created things: “We should not fix our desires on health or sickness, wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or a short one. For everything has the potential of calling forth in us a deeper response to our life in God.” Indeed eve
n unfortunate events, like this concern we now have, carry God’s grace within it. And we hope and pray that once we weather this challenge as one school community, we will be able to thank the Lord for this event that will hopefully bind us as one resilient community.
As we prepare for the feast of our Blessed Mother, we offer to her intercession all our hopes and concerns. Our Lady of China, pray for us.
In omnibus amare et servire,
Fr. Joseph Raymund Patrick S. Sanchez, SJ
School President