CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)—The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) asks local chief executives (LCEs) to provide immediate intervention or assistance to barangays or areas imposing lockdown in preventing the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID)-19, June 9 during the NorMin COVID-19 Response Task Force press conference.
“Tan-awon gihapon ang kapasidad sa paghatag ug hinabang sa atong local government units sa mga lugar nga atong i-lockdown. Katong mga areas nga atong i-lockdown, whether it’s a barangay kinahanglanon nga for the city nga makahatag ug hinabang sa mga lumulupyo anang mga barangay mahitungod kay dili na sila pagawason,” DILG-10 Regional Director Arnel Agabe said.
(The capacity of the local government units to provide assistance to areas imposing lockdown will also be looked upon. For areas that will be imposing lockdown, whether it’s a barangay, there is a need for the city to provide aid to the residents of the barangay since the latter will no longer be allowed to go out)
Due to limited funds, the government finds it difficult to impose lockdown in a region or whole province. Thus, determining and imposing lockdown to areas with surging COVID-19 cases is easier to handle.
“Kung dili na kaya sa usa ka barangay (If the barangay could no longer do it), then we’ll have the city or LGU to provide necessary assistance to that particular area or barangay,” Agabe said.
Aside from ensuring aid from the LCEs, Agabe also reminds the LGUs, imposing a lockdown, to organize quick response teams (QRTs) that will carry out the test-trace-treat strategy against the disease.
The teams must include 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.
These teams must be stationed at the municipal or city level emergency operations center.
Each LGU must also have available data on population, number of barangays, population density per barangay, quarantine facilities, treatment facilities, mapping of cases, syndrome surveillance, and testing kits before actual implementation of the localized lockdown.
Agabe however reminded the LGUs that decisions should have concurrence of the regional Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) before imposing a localized lockdown.
Such is done to empower LGUs in taking the lead role and assume greater responsiblity in the fight against COVID-19. (RTP/PIA10)
