DAVAO CITY — All municipalities and cities in Region 11 will lift their own respective lockdowns to give way for the implementation of the 14-day regional lockdown starting 12:01 a.m. today (March 19).
Mayor Sara Duterte, who chairs the Regional COVID Task Force, said Davao Region will have a unified approach to the threat of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Sara said people may leave Davao Region but will not be allowed to enter the region for 14 days.
“The people in Davao Region may move freely, but they can only go to other cities for work purposes,” she said.
“If you are working outside Davao Region, it is better if you will stay there until the lifting of the lockdown and vice versa,” she said.
The region-wide lockdown means the partial lockdown between the Davao City and Tagum City which was imposed on Sunday has been lifted.
NO PEOPLE IN THE PARK. A sign announces the temporary closure of the People’s Park in Davao City on March 16, 2020. Under the community quarantine guidelines of Davao City, all public parks and playgrounds are closed to discourage the gathering of people and prevent possible COVID-19 infection. MANMAN DEJETO / MINDANEWS
Strict protocol
All entrance and exit points in Davao Region will be manned by personnel of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 during the region-wide community quarantine.
PRO 11 spokesperson Major Eudisan Gultiano told the Mirror that their personnel will follow strict protocol at the checkpoints.
She said all those who are allowed to pass and enter Region 11 will go through strict screening measures and quarantine protocols.
Gultiano said exempted from the regionwide lockdown are employees of skeletal forces in public markets, supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, hospital staff, drugstore staff, workers of food preparation, delivery services, water refilling stations, and processing or manufacturing of basic food products and medicines.
Also allowed to enter the region are those employed in money transfer services, power and telecommunication suppliers, BPO companies, export-oriented industries, security personnel, and media practitioners.
“They are allowed to enter and the region, provided they will still present identification cards as proof that they are workers of these establishments,” Gultiano said.
Armed Forces of the Philippines-Eastern Mindanao Command (AFP-EastMinCom) Public Affairs Office chief Lieutenant Colonel Ezra Balagtey, meanwhile, said they will provide support to the PNP (Philippine National Police), which is the primary agency in the conduct of checkpoints within the regional borders.
“We will only assist the PNP if needed and called,” Balagtey told the Mirror.
Also providing support to the PNP are the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Philippine Coastguard (PCG).
STRINGENT MEASURES. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, bus passengers entering Davao City are required to undergo stringent measures such as thermal scanning, foot bathing, and metal detecting at the Northbound Task Force Checkpoint in Barangay Lasang. ARJOY M. CENIZA
Hotline
Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday announced the launch of a hotline which those with possible COVID-19 infection may call.
In a statement, the DOH said the public may call the hotlines at 02-894-COVID (02-894-26843) and 1555 for any questions or assistance, especially if they have symptoms and known exposure to confirmed cases or patients under investigation.
“The information collected from emergency calls is transmitted to the COVID-19 Emergency Operations Center and other relevant agencies for immediate facilitation and response,” the DOH said.
The hotlines, it said, was launched in collaboration with the National Emergency Hotline of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, PLDT, and Smart Communications. Inc. (Smart).
The hotlines will be available 24 hours a day and seven days a week, while PLDT and Smart subscribers may call 1555 free of charge.
“Subscribers from other networks can access the 1555 hotline once technical adjustments are completed,” the DOH said.
DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III called on the public to limit the use of the hotlines to relevant and important calls to ensure that medical assistance will be provided to those in need.
“We expect an influx of calls in the first few days of the launch of the call center. We ask for the public’s cooperation and patience to allow only relevant and important calls to go through,” Duque said.
He said the department is working with both public and private partners to supplement the technical know-how needed in the fight against the viral pandemic.
PLDT chair and chief executive officer (CEO) Manuel Pangilinan, for his part, said the company’s collaboration is part of its “continuing efforts” to fight the spread of COVID-19.
“We hope that with our services, we can help provide much-needed information that will enable health authorities to deliver proper patient diagnosis and treatment and ultimately stop the spread of this disease,” Pangilinan said. With a report from PNA
March 18, 2020 – Wednesday 6:03 PM by
FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA, RUTH PALO
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