THE Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) has been tapped to assist the contract tracers of the City Health Office (CHO) to ensure a thorough contact tracing effort in Cagayan de Oro.

Cocpo spokesperson Major Ivan Vinas said each police station in the city was directed to create its own contact tracing team, which should be composed of police personnel with medical background.

Vinas said they have already traced and submitted the names of the persons who may have had exposure to coronavirus-positive patients.

"Ang gikahalubilo sa positive maoy atong gaapason. Importante ma-trace kinsa ilang nakahalubilo para macontain ang pagkuyanap sa virus. Hangyo lang pud namo nga kung adtoan sila, mo kooperar sila," he said.

Vinas, meanwhile, assured that the police officers will wear personal protective equipment as a precautionary measure against the deadly virus.

The CHO said it is expanding its contact tracing to gated communities, such as subdivisions, to look for individuals with influenza-like symptoms.

Contact tracers are not only tracing close contacts of coronavirus-positive patients, but also close contacts of Covid-19 "suspects" and "probables," Retuya said.