An entire city or municipality may be placed under lockdown if there is local community spread of the new coronavirus disease, a Palace official said yesterday, as part of a government contingency plan for the worst-case scenario.
According to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, the government has readied measures such as possible lockdown of a certain place and identification of other quarantine facilities in case of the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country.
“We are looking at any eventuality, including the notion of local transmission is a matter of when and not if. So that’s our train of thought, that’s our focus right now. Obviously we are all praying that it does not happen but we are prepared for the worst,” he said in an interview over CNN Philippines.
Asked if the government can lock down a city in case of local community spread, Nograles said: “Yes, actually if it comes to that, we are prepared to do that.”
As the government braces for a possible local transmission of the coronavirus, Nograles said they have established certain health protocols, from activating barangay teams to locating other quarantine facilities.
He said local chief executives have been asked to mobilize their Barangay Health Emergency Rescue Teams to help contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country. The deployment of these barangay teams was effective during the previous Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak so the government adopted the same mechanisms to combat COVID-19.
“Kasama sa tasking nila is constant monitoring down to the barangay level. Ang tasking natin sa kanila is also identify local quarantine facilities there which we can use as quarantine facilities in case there’s an eventuality na hindi natin gusto,” he said.
Asked if all barangays have complied with the latest directive, Nogales said he could not say 100 percent. But he noted the Department of Interior and Local Government has started coordinating with local government units on the prevention, containment, and control of the COVID-19.
The DILG had earlier advised local government units to take proactive steps against the coronavirus, such as cooperating with the Department of Health on contact tracing of persons suspected of COVID-19, ensuring adequate protective gear for health workers, and conducting information campaign about the precautions against the disease. (Genalyn Kabiling)