Año reminds LGUs to have quick response teams for localized lockdowns

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Monday reminded local government units that were looking to impose localized lockdowns that they should have quick response teams (QRTs) that can carry out the test-trace-treat strategy against COVID-19.

“By imposing localized lockdowns in specific areas within their jurisdiction, LGUs must have already organized their QRTs which shall swiftly and efficiently assist in the proper management of the Covid-19 situation in those areas,” Año said in a press statement.

"Imposing a localized lockdown comes with several responsibilities. LGUs must be ready to enforce stringent health protocols, aggressively conduct contact tracing, testing, and isolation to contain and prevent the spread COVID-19 in the lockdown areas, among others,” he added.

According to Año, QRTs must have Health Promotion and Prevention Team (for syndromic surveillance); Disinfection Teams; Swabbing Teams; Contact Tracing Teams; Medical Evacuation Teams; Law and Order Teams; Barangay Health Emergency Response Team (BHERTS) and Social Amelioration/ Support Teams.

LGUs must also possess available data on population, number of barangays, population density per barangay, quarantine facilities, treatment facilities, mapping of cases, syndrome surveillance, and testing kits before the actual implementation of the localized lockdown.

Under the general community quarantine, provincial governors have the power to declare localized lockdowns in cities and municipalities in areas with 10 or more new clusters of cases; a surge of new sporadic cases within the last 14 days; and incidence of suspected and probable cases.

Meanwhile, mayors can implement localized lockdowns on buildings, business establishments, markets, streets, and blocks if there are an initial number of cases identified and clustering of cases; in subdivisions, puroks, barangays with two or more cases in seven days and incidence of suspected and probable cases; and in a cluster of barangays and districts if there are two or more new clusters of cases and incidence of suspected and probable cases. — DVM, GMA News