Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said that the partnering of cabinet secretaries with local government unit (LGU) chiefs in Metro Manila would result in improved coordination that would boost COVID-19 containment efforts in cities like Quezon City (QC).
Nograles, together with Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque, was designated to assist the QC LGU in line with Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) Resolution No. 62, which directed cabinet secretaries to “provide stronger support to local government units with areas identified with high community transmission” and to “monitor health system performance, critical care capacity, and stringent compliance with surveillance, isolation, and treatment protocols.”
“We agreed on a six-step approach in QC.”
The IATF co-chair said that in a meeting with QC LGU officials led by QC Mayor Joy Belmonte on Thursday, it was agreed that a six-step approach would be adopted to address COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila’s biggest city.
According to Nograles, “we agreed on a six-step approach in QC; kasama ito sa guidelines ng WHO (World Health Organization). Based on the guidelines, we want to number one, control transmissions, and number two, we want to make sure that health capacities are in place, including testing, isolation, treatment, and contact tracing; number three, we have to manage outbreaks in certain special settings like health facilities and urban communities, lalo na ang mga areas na magkadikit-dikit ang mga bahay.”
“Number four, to impose preventive measures in workplaces and essential places, kasama na dyan ang transportation settings. Number five, we have to manage importations––and when we talk about importations, we’re talking about those, not from QC going into or passing through the city. And number six, communities down to the barangay level have to be fully engaged, aware, empowered, and informed. This is our six-step approach for QC,” added the Palace official.
The former legislator pointed out that “lahat naman ito, QC has already been doing.”
“We have to manage outbreaks in certain special settings like health facilities and urban communities.”
“We just need more coordination between the national government agencies to help QC in managing all these six approaches.”
Nograles said that with regard to transmission control, QC has been doing what he referred to as “special concern lockdowns.”
“They lock down streets, puroks, condos, buildings na kung saan may clustering na nangyayari. We reviewed the protocols that QC is conducting and it ties up very well with the protocols we are implementing at the national level,” said Nograles.
The Davao native said that based on data, several barangays in QC are considered hotspots because they had recorded increases in the past 7 or 14 days, as well as increases in the absolute number of infections. Some of these barangays, said Nograles, have already been locked down by the QC government.