Department of Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire talks to reporters via Zoom meeting in this file photo taken on April 23, 2020. INQUIRER.net file photo / DAPHNE GALVEZ
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said that the current alert level system for COVID-19 is set to turn into a “risk communication tool” instead of being the “prescribing tool for restrictions.”
According to DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire in a press forum, this was decided after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) convened with representatives of the DOH and local government units (LGUs).
In the said meeting, Vergeire said the DOH discussed several important key points in the implementation of the alert level system, surveying each LGU.
“So bottom line would be napagusapan na, naandiyan na tayo sa direction kung saan we would like that the alert level system would not be a prescribing tool for restrictions anymore, but would just be a risk communication tool for our local governments, and our people, [or] our public,” said Vergeire.
(So bottom line would be that it has already been discussed, we are already in the direction where we would like that the alert level system would not be a prescribing tool for restrictions anymore but would just be a risk communication tool for our local governments, and our people, or our public.)
“So that we are all guided on what should be done kung saka sakali ano ang risk level ng bawat area sa ating bansa (in regards to what the risk level of each area in our country is),” said Vergeire.
Among the survey questions tackled by the DOH and LGUs were the frequency of reporting alert level systems — whether it will stick to every 15 days or just once a month; and if they agree with the proposal that minimum public health standards should be within the authority of the local government, instead of the national government.
“These were all the questions given to the local governments, which they have responded to,” said Vergeire.
“At base doon sa mga resulta na ‘yon nagkaroon ng mga rekomendasyon na within the IATF but we cannot say yet because kailangan pa ulit namin ipadala for ad referendum kung papayag na lahat ng members and we will be informing all of you after that,” she added.
(And based on those results, there were recommendations within the IATF but we cannot say yet because we need to send it again for ad referendum if all the members agree, and we will be informing all of you after that.)
Vergeire did not specify any time frame on when the recommendations are expected to be released.
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