CALOOCAN CITY, March 8 (PIA) -- Four employees of the Manila City Hall tested positive for COVID-19 following swab tests conducted by the city government.

This was announced by Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso during the flag raising ceremony this morning in line with the city's celebration of International Women's Day and Women's Month this March.

The mayor said the city government has already implemented health and safety protocols to keep any further infection in check.

He also said the employees also received the needed support from the city, and contact tracing of close contacts have been implmented to track and contain the infection.

Confirmatory testing was conducted earlier at the city government employees' clinic, according to the Manila Public Information Office (PIO).

Domagoso, however, said work in all City Hall departments will not be suspended as a result of the detected COVID-19 infections, as he cautioned the transacting public to be extra careful in conducting businesses there.

The mayor also recommended to use online and contactless transactions, whenever possible, to be on the safe side and avoid the risk of getting infected.

During the event, Domagoso urged mothers and housewives to take the lead in keeping their family safe and protected from COVID-19 infection by encouraging their children to stictly follow the existing health protocols and physical distancing.

As of 12:00 noon Monday, March 8, Manila City has recorded about 908 active cases. So far, 27,565 Manila City residents have recovered while 815 succumbed to the deadly disease. (PIA NCR)