By Joseph B.A. Marzan
Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. is expected to issue today, April 30, 2020, a new executive order extending the enhanced community quarantine to May 15, 2020.
The extension is based on the recommendation by the National Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (NIATFMEID) via Resolution No. 29, which was announced by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on April 28.
The province was placed under ECQ since March 20 via issued EO No. 080 as part of its response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Originally set to expire on April 14, the ECQ was extended to April 30 through EO No. 102 issued on April 8.
Prior to the ECQ, the governor had already placed the province under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) through EO No. 028-C issued on March 15.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Defensor said there will be no major changes in the current iteration of the ECQ.
“The [IATFMEID] Resolution No. 29 arrived yesterday, and we are on the list of those which should sustain the ECQ, so that is fine. There isn’t any much difference because the features of the ECQ are already in the issuance of the national government dated March 31 and we are just following that. So we don’t have major adjustments, just retaining the ECQ,” he said.
He elaborated on the refinements that will appear in the new EO, saying that they were based on previous issuances of local and national governments.
The new features of the ECQ extension will be more specific, to include COVID-19 testing in district hospitals, the designation of hospitals for Persons Under Investigation (PUI) with mild symptoms, quarantine facilities for confirmed COVID-19 patients who are asymptomatic, and quarantine facilities for Persons Under Monitoring.
“The changes, the refinements that we had with our previous issuances, we consolidated them, we refined them and we changed them. This is now more specific and now includes what we really need. For example, we will create COVID-19 testing teams in district hospitals to further augment the testing capacity of our Rural Health Units, designating our hospitals as hospitals for PUIs with mild symptoms because that was the issuance of the Department of Interior and Local Government. They weren’t there before, but now they are in the new [EO]. This is more complete, more comprehensive, more detailed, and more refined. It is also included that our [local government units] should cater specifically for those who are [COVID-19] positive but are asymptomatic. We have a choice [to do such] because under the protocol, they should be at home, but we have an option, and quarantine facilities for our PUMs,” he said.
PUIs and PUMs are old classifications under the old COVID-19 reporting system of the Department of Health (DOH).
PUIs are persons with symptoms who had contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients and/or travel history to places with confirmed COVID-19 cases.
PUMs are asymptomatic but had contact with COVID-19 patients and/or travel history to places with confirmed COVID-19 cases.
These classifications had already been revised under the new reporting system by the DOH.
PUIs are now divided into suspected and probable cases.
Suspect cases are those showing symptoms with travel history or residing in places with confirmed COVID-19 cases or local transmission and/or are vulnerable to the disease.
Probable cases, on the other hand, are suspect cases who have already been tested and are awaiting results or have inconclusive results.
The PUM classification has been completely removed under the new system.
These classifications are still, however, being used by local government units as they have not been barred from collecting and producing the data.
Defensor said further adjustments will be determined on or before May 15.
“When May 15 comes near, then we will know which adjustments we will be making. We don’t know how the problem will develop. I’ve said it before, what will happen on April 30 will depend on what we’re looking at,” he said.
ILOILO CITY GCQ
On Iloilo City’s transition to the general community quarantine (GCQ) which has more relaxed rules, Defensor said he will coordinate with Mayor Jerry Treñas on the mechanisms to balance the status between the city and the province.
“As of now, we have not talked with Mayor Treñas because I just learned this morning that the city will move to a GCQ, so we will level off with Mayor Treñas. I don’t think we have a problem there,” he said.
Treñas also confirmed in a press conference on Wednesday at the Iloilo City Hall that he will follow whatever arrangements the province will have for its extended ECQ, especially with regards to the border between the province and the city.
“Regarding border control, what will happen [is that], if residents of the province will enter our city through the borders [with the province], then we will still require the same ECQ passes. That is why our police, members of the [City Health Office] are there at the checkpoint, as well as our [Armed Forces of the Philippines]. When they enter, [the personnel] will check the ECQ passes and those without ECQ passes will not be allowed to enter. So far as we are concerned, if there are other things [Atty. Roque] and [Governor Defensor] will talk about, we will follow,” he said.
DOH data indicated that as of 8 a.m. of April 29, Iloilo has 20 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with seven active cases, nine recoveries, and four deaths.
