Region III, CAR, Batangas City, Quezon province directed to implement enhanced COVID-19 measures

Region III, the Cordillera Administrative Region, Batangas City, and Quezon province have been directed to implement enhanced measures against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Malacañang said Saturday.

In a live briefing, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said measures that will be implemented after assessment by local governments will include:

• Scope of lockdown may be extended to the whole municipality and city
• Limit inter-zonal mobility, especially into and out of high-transmission areas
• Limit non-essential travels within the lockdowns
• Regional IATF/Task Forces should actively monitor and identify and address gaps in PDITR implementation
• Regional DOLE and DTI to inspect workplaces and establishments and provide IATF with their findings and action plans
• Fast track vaccination of priority groups

Roque said the Inter-Agency Task Force has adopted a policy that will maximize the master listing and vaccination of Priority Group A1, the frontline healthcare workers.

This includes those who are not based in health facilities but provide COVID-19 case management from womb to tomb, screening at borders and points of entry, or management of COVID-19 specimens.

A policy that will implement the simultaneous vaccination of healthcare workers, senior citizens ( Priority Group A2), and individuals with comorbidities (Priority Group A3) as a quick substitution list was also adopted.

“So ‘yung substitution list na po natin dapat gamitin na ‘yung mga mga A2 at A3,” Roque said.

[So our substitution list should now use A2 and A3 priority groups.]

Roque said the simultaneous vaccination of succeeding priority groups will also be conducted once supplies from multipartite agreements come in and are adopted in principle.

The presidential spokesperson said the Department of Health and the vaccine cluster have been directed to develop operational guidelines for final approval of the IATF.

Meanwhile, Roque said the implementation of the vaccination program must be done with the assistance of uniformed personnel, the private sector, and other national government agencies to achieve the following:

• Lessen on-site processes through the completion of documentation and screening processes prior to the actual date of vaccination
• Designate and utilize large vaccination sites as necessary, with observance of the respective allowed capacities of such sites
• Maintain minimum public health standards particularly on physical distancing measures
• Relegate administrative and ministerial functions to non-healthcare workers
• Maximize business processes to ramp up the vaccination program
• Ensure continuous vaccination activities

— DVM, GMA News