MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte’s hometown of Davao City will revert to a general community quarantine (GCQ) status until November 30 following a spike in COVID-19 cases in the city, Malacañang announced Friday.
In a statement, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Melquiades Feliciano, Deputy Chief Implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 for the cities of Bacolod and Cebu, has been assigned to head the Coordinated Operations to Defeat the Epidemic (CODE) teams that will be deployed in Davao City to assist in the response activities.
“A One Hospital Command Center will likewise be established in the city to ensure an efficient referral system as private hospitals are mandated to increase their ward bed occupancy by at least 20% to 30%,” Roque said.
Shortage of nurses and medical equipment such as high-oxygen cannulae, Favipiravir (Avigan), and Remdesivir will also be addressed.
Accommodation establishments in the city will be tapped to serve as quarantine facilities for health workers as well as the isolation of positive COVID-19 cases.
Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies are directed to assist in the enforcement of granular lockdowns upon affected communities or clusters, and if necessary, deploy personnel in the city.
According to data from the Department of Health, there are 5,541 total COVID-19 cases in Davao City. This is nearly 70% of the total coronavirus infections in the entire Davao Region.