MARAWI CITY (PIA) — The Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) in Lanao del Sur underscored the importance of extending the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the province saying it is the most practical course of action to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Provincial Governor Mamintal A. Adiong Jr. and City Mayor Majul U. Gandamra ordered the extension of the ECQ in the entire province including Marawi until April 30, 2020 upon the recommendation of the Lanao del Sur Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of COVID-19.
“Bumababa ang kaso dito ng COVID-19 pero sa ibang parte ng Pilipinas ito ay patuloy na tumataas. Malaking threat ito sa ating lugar, kung bubuksan natin ang ating probinsya ay maaaring may makapasok na may dalang coronavirus” IPHO chief Dr. Alinader Minalang said emphasizing that there are asymptomatic carriers of the virus.
[The COVID-19 case here is decreasing but in other parts of the Philippines, it continues to rise. This is a big threat to our area, if we open our province, someone carrying coronavirus might enter here.]
The capacity of the healthcare system in the province is also a major consideration according to Minalang.
“Kung magkakaroon tayo ng maraming kaso ng PUI o positive cases maaring di makakaya ng ating kasalukuyang pasilidad. Sa kasalukuyan rin ay wala tayong kakayanan na gumawa ng mass testing upang malaman kung sino ang positibo at sino ang negatibo,” he said.
[If we will have many PUI cases or positive cases, our current facility will not be able to handle it. At present, we also do not have the capacity to do mass testing to determine who is positive and who is negative.]
Minalang said the Amai Pakpak Medical Center has only 18 isolation rooms and seven available ventilators.
“Inihahanda natin ang ating emergency community quarantine facilities pero kulang pa rin tayo sa mga gamit tulad ng PPE, pati na rin mga doctor, nurses at iba pang health professionals. Kailangan pa natin ng sapat ng oras upang ito ay maihanda ng husto,” he added
[We are preparing our emergency community quarantine facilities but we still lack equipment like PPE, as well as doctors, nurses and other health professionals. We still need enough time to prepare it well.]
Minalang appealed to Lanao del Sur residents not to be complacent over COVID-19 so that all the efforts done to prevent the local transmission of COVID-19 will not be wasted.
He reminded them to stay at home, keep practicing social distancing and good personal hygiene, and follow the guidelines and advisories issued by the government. (APB/PIA ICIC)
