CORONAVIRUS disease (Covid-19) testing is slated in the different towns of Benguet Province.

At the province's capital town of La Trinidad, the local government said the three-day mass testing, which starts December 15 until 17 at the municipal park, will be free for stakeholders from the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center, La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post, backfill area, traders, markets, drivers and other establishments, strawberry farm, orchidarium, banks, stores, schools and residents.

Aside from the abovementioned stakeholders, pregnant and dialysis patients will also be accommodated.

The first 600 registrants per day will be accommodated and are also asked to have mandatory quarantine after the testing.

In the mining town of Itogon, an aggressive community testing is set this week, comprised of 1,000 stakeholders, including business establishment owners and workers and public utility jeepney drivers.

The Municipal Health Office said the testing aims for early detection and isolation of cases and to safeguard the business establishment workers, and PUJ drivers.

On December 16, Covid-19 testing will be conducted in Barangays Loacan and Ucab, followed by Barangays Dalupirip, Tinongdan and Tuding on December 17, and Barangay Poblacion on December 18.

In Mankayan, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority is targeting 4,000 to 4,500 tests.

The staff of the local government unit is still coordinating for the final schedule of the mass testing in the town.

As of Tuesday, December 15, there were 577 active Covid-19 cases in Benguet province, 2,041 recoveries, and 25 deaths.

Mankayan has 318 active cases, La Trinidad with 157 active cases, Tuba with 45 and Itogon with 36.

The Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force for Covid-19 said that out of the 137 total bed capacity of the provincial hospitals in Benguet, there are 86 beds occupied and 51 available beds.

For the 196-bed capacity in the different provincial isolation facilities, there are 110 available beds and 86 beds occupied.