Davao City LGU takes cue from IATF on quarantine status

DAVAO CITY, June 21 (PIA)- Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio revealed that the city takes its cue from the Inter-Agency Task Force on Covid-19 regarding the quarantine status to be followed beyond June 30.

She clarified that the City Government follows only the advice issued by the national government when it comes to quarantine classification.

Duterte-Carpio suspected that the surge is due to the presence of a more infectious variant, more people outside going to work, and non-practice of the minimum public health standard inside the dwelling places. “MPHS is not practice much on the households,” she said.

Duterte-Carpio advised COVID-19 positive patients who are waiting for pick up might resort to telemedicine to talk to the doctors regarding the felt symptoms.

She said the CHO is establishing this system.

Duterte-Carpio said the City Government will also provide care-kits for patients who are waiting for pick up at the TTMFs like the asymptomatic and mild cases.

“They will be provided will a digital thermometer, a pulse oximeter, pieces of Vitamin C, Paracetamol, disposable face masks and alcohol and with a corresponding instruction on what to do while waiting for pick-up at the residence,” she said.

Duterte-Carpio said that the COVID-19 response is centered on the prevention and enforcement and health group through trace, test and treat, isolation and quarantining.

She said the response cluster has many components.

Duterte-Carpio assured that the city’s budget can still hold on despite the surge.

She surmised that the current surge resulted into 453 houses, 18 buildings, six compounds, and one school lockdowns or a total of 478 lockdowns.

Duterte-Carpio said these lockdowns are guarded by 1,407 personnel police, police auxiliaries, barangay tanod, Public Safety and Security Command Center and other barangay functionaries.

She also revealed that there is no need for more contact tracers given the standard ratio of 1:15 by the Department of Health.

Duterte-Carpio said the contact tracing in the city can respond to one contact tracer to thirteen cases.

“The only request made by the contact-tracing in-charge is to replace contact tracers who cannot comply the given time frame and the standard in the timing of the period of contact tracing,” she said.

Duterte-Carpio revealed seven city hall employees died of the COVID-19 infection. (PIA XI-JSGD)