Palace: Duterte order to send cops to quarantine facilities no free pass for hotel managers

President Rodrigo Duterte's order to deploy policemen to COVID-19 quarantine hotels does not give management of these establishments free pass in the event guests violate quarantine rules, the Palace said Wednesday.

Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles made the comment after at least two Filipinos from the United States who traveled to the Philippines for the Christmas holidays skipped quarantine and subsequently got sick with COVID-19, infecting some of their close contacts with COVID-19.

"The President was just emphasizing the limitations on the part of the hotel, especially if the violators become aggressive. You would need law enforcement [personnel to be there]. But it does not absolve them of their negligence," Nograles said during a Palace briefing.

"The omission, non-reporting of violation...cases will be filed over that. They will be prosecuted, and it is up for the judge to decide," Nograles added.

Duterte on Tuesday ordered law enforcers to guard hotels serving as quarantine facilities for returning Filipinos following the viral report of a woman who  skipped quarantine after arriving from the United States.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra earlier said that individuals who violate mandatory COVID-19 quarantine protocols will face criminal charges under the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act (Republic Act 1132), among other civil cases.

The prohibited acts under RA 11332 include:

• unauthorized disclosure of private and confidential information pertaining to a patient’s medical condition or treatment;
• tampering of records or intentionally providing misinformation;
• non-operation of the disease surveillance and response systems;
• non-cooperation of persons and entities that should report and/or respond to notifiable diseases or health events of public concern; and
• non-cooperation of the person or entities identified as having the notifiable disease, or affected by the health event of public concern.

The same law also provides that  violators face a fine of not less than P20,000 to P50,000 or imprisonment of not less than one month to six months, or both such fine and imprisonment, at the court's discretion.

The government has already placed Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite and Rizal under the stricter Alert Level 3 protocol until January 15 due to rising COVID-19 cases.

The Alert Level 3 protocol prohibits in-person classes for basic education, karaoke and indoor entertainment, gatherings of people not belonging to the same household, casino/horse racing/cockfighting operations and contact sports except for bubble set up.

The COVID-19 positivity rate in the country has soared to 26% as of January 4 from less than 1% mid-December last year. —KG, GMA News