THE Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (IATF) will implement starting next month a new policy turning over to regional and local government units (LGUs) the task of deciding what level of community quarantine their respective areas will be under.
Epimaco Densing III, undersecretary for operations of the DILG, said the new system was approved two weeks ago and will take effect on the second week of September.
Under the new policy, Densing said the national government will declare lockdowns only as the “last resort” as local chief executives now have the responsibility to place under granular or small-area lockdowns areas in their localities where a surge in cases are reported.
Densing said the granular lockdowns being planned will be stricter, especially the movement of people outside of their homes. “If you lock down a subdivision, a corner or some houses, you are not going to let the people there to go out,” he said.
“The IATF approved it (policy shift) already. We are just finalizing the details. By the second week (of September), we are going to implement that. The governors have also agreed to take on that responsibility,” Densing told the Laging Handa press briefing.
He also said: “We will no longer have large-scale lockdowns at the level of regions and provinces. We will let the local government units, the governors and mayors to declare granular lockdowns. We have already asked the local government units to prepare for what we call the policy shift on lockdowns.”
Densing said Authorized Persons Outside Residents (APORs) who were previously allowed to work under the traditional lockdown will no longer be permitted to go out of their homes under the new policy.
“If an area is on localized lockdown, even the APORs are not going to be allowed to go out,” he said.
Densing said the policy was recommended by the sub-technical group on data analytics of the IATF and subsequently approved by the IATF. The sub-technical work group is composed of representatives form various departments, including the DILG.
Under the current set-up, declaration of lockdowns or enhanced community quarantines of regions, provinces, cities and municipalities are recommended by the IATF and subject to approval by President Duterte. Some declarations are recommended by LGUs and approved by the regional IATFs.
Densing said the national government will assist the LGUs in the implementation of the granular lockdowns, specifically the distribution of food packs to those who will be affected.
Densing also disclosed that the DILG has given instructions to LGUs, especially those with high number of COVID-19 cases, to put up more quarantine facilities.
Densing said there are reports of shortage of quarantine facilities in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Central Visayas.
“These are areas we’re really focusing on because they’re really lacking in isolation and quarantine facilties for people found to be COVID positive,” he said.
Densing said it is also important to put up additional quarantine facilities so COVID-19 positives who are on home quarantine and their close contacts can be brought to these facilities and prevent the further spread of the virus.
On Health Secretary Francisco Duque’s remarks that the DILG’s contact tracing application Stay Safe had “almost no impact”, Densing said Duque is probably not updated on the application.
Densing said 6.4 million individuals have already registered with the Stay Safe application.
He said the application has documented 47 million visits to establishments.
In July alone, Densing said 115 COVID-19 positives have been prevented from entering establishments through the application.
“This is a way of preventing the potential spread of COVID-19 because there are COVID-19 positives who want to enter establishments,” he said.
