Why Fill-out the Contact Tracing Forms?

by Bro Mon Gualvez –

Nowadays, contact tracing seems to be one of those terms that have apparently become a part of our everyday language amid this COVID-19 pandemic.

Contact tracing is the process of identification, monitoring, support, and investigation of individuals who have been exposed to a patient with a virus, and who may possibly be infected themselves. In the Philippines, the implementation of contact tracing is part of the safety protocols that all establishments, including the church, must strictly follow either manually or electronically.

At the Shrine of Jesus, our Rector, Rev. Msgr. Bobby C. Canlas, together with all the volunteers strictly implement contact tracing in a systematic way, and not just for the sake of “complying”.

Once a churchgoer arrives, he or she needs to approach the registration table outside the church to fill-out the Contact Tracing Information Sheet that requires the person’s name, address, mobile number, date and time of visit. The visitor also needs to indicate if he or she is a regular or non-regular churchgoer. The shrine volunteer assigned at the registration table checks the information sheet for completeness.

All the pens used at the registration table are sanitized often. A bottle of alcohol/sanitizer is also made available for churchgoers to use. The churchgoer will then be given a small piece of paper containing his or her seat number while inside the church. After the Mass, they may approach another table if they wish to have a Regular Churchgoer Stub Number so that they will no longer need to fill out the Information Sheet every time they visit the shrine.

A secretariat committee has been formed to prepare all the needed materials for the registration and contact tracing measures. They are also tasked to monitor the tally or number of churchgoers attending each Mass and to validate all information gathered. The Secretariat committee also compiles and secures all the filled-out information sheets, so it will be easier for them to track people in case one churchgoer tests positive for the virus.

Msgr. Bobby calls on all churchgoers for their cooperation and honesty to make this contact tracing useful when it is actually needed. It is also part of the Shrine of Jesus’ compliance with the protocols mandated not only by the Archdiocese of Manila but also the government.

Help us make contact tracing work. If you are visiting the Shrine, please fill out the forms truthfully and completely.