Officials of southern Metro cities have required health and sanitation checks on all Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) firms with Chinese workers to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
The Makati, Pasay, Las Piñas, Parañaque and Muntinlupa local governments said that the checks, to be conducted by their respective city health offices, were part of their heightened monitoring campaign against the virus which originated from Wuhan City in China’s Hubei province.
The mayors also ordered all private establishments in their areas to immediately submit a list of all their employees who recently visited mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau. Those who fail to do so would have their business permits revoked.
Health check
In a statement, Las Piñas Mayor Imelda Aguilar said they “wanted to make sure” that Pogo workers who had returned to the city after traveling to China for the Chinese New Year were unaffected by the virus.
She and the other mayors also asked the management of all establishments in their cities, including hotels, restaurants, condominiums, malls and Pogo firms, to cooperate with authorities in the implementation of nCoV preventive measures.
“These times demand a unified and coordinated action from all sectors. The city government appeals to all our stakeholders to cooperate and support policies and measures being undertaken to avert a health crisis in our city,” Makati Mayor Abby Binay said in a separate statement.
Barangay health teams
Upon the directive of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the mayors also ordered barangay chairs to form their respective Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) to help the government address any situation arising from the virus.
All BHERT members, to be equipped with protective gear, would served as their “eyes and ears” in ensuring that all residents have full access to information on nCoV.
They were likewise tasked to visit households whose residents had recently arrived from countries where cases were reported such as China, Macau, Taiwan and Hong Kong, and make sure they were properly self-quarantined.