CEBU CITY, Philippines — President Rodrigo assured local chief executives that the 2019-novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) can be contained if all local government units (LGUs) will follow the Department of Health (DOH) protocol.
On Monday, February 10, 2020, local chief executives including mayors and governors have been called to a briefing with DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III and President Duterte in Manila.
Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said in a phone interview with CDN Digital that the meeting was to ensure all LGUs were on the same page in the control of the spread of the 2019-nCov.
“The President told us that we do not need to panic, and what LGUs must do is to follow the protocol of the DOH,” said Labella.
The mayor said they were told to avoid making local protocol which is unguided by or deviated from the DOH protocol. This way, the response to any persons under investigation (PUI) would be the same across the country.
The DOH protocol involves the close coordination between the LGUs disaster and health offices with the regional DOH especially the Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (Resu).
Isolation and quarantine of suspected cases should also be followed especially with travellers from mainland China and Taiwan, which is now limited to Filipino nationals following the recent travel ban directives to these areas by the President.
Labella said the special instruction of the President is to make sure that the level of preparedness goes down to the barangays.
“He (President Duterte) asked us to really go down to the barangays and ensure that the communities are ready in the face of 2019-nCov,” said the mayor.
In Cebu City, all barangays have been instructed to prepare an isolation room for suspected cases of the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Labella, is currently in Manila as the chairperson of the League of Cities in the Philippines, to attend the turnover of a fire truck from the Bureau of Fire to 74 LGUs.
Cebu City will receive a P15 million worth firetruck which is capable of dispensing aqueous film-forming foam to combat a chemical fire. /rcg