DILG orders LGUs to create nCov task forces

A day after the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed that there is already a case of novel coronavirus in the Philippines, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) advised all local government units to create novel coronavirus task forces to help curb the spread of the disease.

In a press statement, DILG spokesman Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said DILG chief Eduardo Año has ordered all local government units to be on a state of preparedness amid the threat of the novel coronavirus.

“All LGUs nationwide are advised to create their respective task forces to implement DOH protocols and guidelines and extend full cooperation to the DOH and other government agencies to meet the world health emergency,” Malaya said.

Malaya emphasized that the local task forces, which will be under the leadership of the governor or mayor, should ensure that local health authorities acquire the necessary equipment such as masks, goggles, gowns and gloves.

Malaya said local chief executives must also provide training to their health workers regarding the prevention of nCov.

He added that the local task forces should refer a suspected nCov patient to a DOH-designated coronavirus-referral hospital, noting that this should be well-coordinated with DOH and police officials.

Malaya also reminded areas that house international airports to coordinate with the Bureau of Immigration and airport officials as regards flights coming from nCov-affected countries in order to ensure quarantine measures for those who could have acquired the virus.

On Thursday, DOH chief Francisco Duque III disclosed that a 38-year-old woman from Wuhan, China who arrived in the country on January 21 via Hong Kong has been infected with nCov.

The patient is said to be confined at a hospital in Manila.

President Rodrigo Duterte has already banned the entry of travelers from Hubei province in China, the center of the outbreak. —KBK, GMA News