MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) “should have been clearer” about the guidelines for home quarantine at the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, Malacañang said Thursday.
In an online briefing, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said he believes the vague guidelines caused the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
“I think hindi naging malinaw kasi ‘yung sinabi ng DOH that asymptomatic and the mild [cases] can stay home. Hindi nila nilinaw na you must have your own room and bathroom,” Roque said.
(I think it was not clear when the DOH said that asymptomatic and mild cases can stay home. They did not make it clear enough that you must have your own room and bathroom.)
“Kaya sa tingin ko, isa sa mga dahilan ito kaya tumaas ang numero natin. But we’re rectifying it now. We have fully intensified our testing,” he went on.
(That’s why I think this is among the reasons our numbers increased. But we’re rectifying it now. We have fully intensified our testing.)
Earlier, DOH allowed asymptomatic COVID-19-positive persons as well as those infected who have mild COVID-19 symptoms to be placed under home quarantine although they are still subjected to strict monitoring by health officials in their respective residences.
But the COVID-19 task force recently discouraged home quarantine and launched its Oplan Kalinga program where COVID-19 patients whose houses are not equipped for home quarantine are transferred from their homes to isolation facilities.
“Nakikita natin na wala pang 2 weeks na inannounce natin itong Oplan Kalinga, napupuno na ‘yung ating isolation centers. Ganun kadami ang nakikita nating positive because of intensified testing daily,” Roque said.
“I have to recognize that the DOH perhaps should have been clearer at the onset na stay at home if you have your own room and you have your own bathroom,” he added.
The Philippines has so far recorded 72,269 COVID-19 infections with 1,843 deaths and 23,623 recoveries.