Cops to go house-to-house in search of mild, asymptomatic COVID-19 patients —Año

Policemen and local government personnel will be going house to house to search for COVID-19 cases who should not be on home quarantine, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Tuesday.

According to the government, mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 patients should not be on home quarantine if they don't meet the three requirements: own room, own bathroom, and absence of vulnerable person in the house.

"Ayaw na po natin mag-home quarantine ang mga positive natin kung wala naman po talagang kapasidad 'yung kanilang bahay," Año said at a press briefing in Taguig City.

"Kaya ang gagawin natin, sa tulong ng LGUs (local government units) at PNP (Philippine National Police) ay ibabahay-bahay po natin 'yan at dadalhin natin ang mga positive sa ating COVID isolation facilities," he added.

Año urged the public to report to authorities if they know someone who is infected with COVID-19 to avoid further transmission of the virus.

"Ilalagay niyo sa panganib ang buhay ng ating mga kababayan kaya hinihikayat po namin ang lahat, mas madali pong gagaling, 14 days lang kayo quarantine, may libreng pagkain pa," he said.

The government has discouraged home quarantine for mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 cases, saying it is prone to abuse.  

Oplan Kalinga

For this, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 started Oplan Kalinga, which aims to escort COVID-19 patients from their houses to government isolation facilities.

At the same press briefing in Taguig City, Vince Dizon, chief testing czar in the fight against COVID-19, said Oplan Kalinga started on Sunday and Monday in Navotas and Malabon. He said authorities had escorted around 50 COVID-19 patients from their houses to government facilities.

“Ang National Task Force ay maga-announce ng isang programa today na tinatawag nating Oplan Kalinga. At ito po ay base na rin sa aming konsultasyon sa iba't ibang mayors ng NCR (National Capital Region),” he said.

“Ito ay aktibong pagsusundo sa ating LGU sa mga ating hindi papasok sa kategoryang puwedeng mag-home quarantine,” Dizon added. --Anna Felicia Bajo/KBK, GMA News