City Hall to rethink COVID-19 response

Iloilo City government will re-strategize its coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response due to the continuing surge in local cases and narrowing number of facilities.

Jeck Conlu spokesman of the Covid-19 Team and head of the Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO), said City Mayor Jerry Treñas called for a meeting today, Aug 24, 2020, with the COVID-19 Team, regional task forces, regional agencies, and the Department of Health in Western Visayas (DOH-6).

According to Conlu, the meeting will discuss the current strategies of the metro in handling the rising cases as hospitals are running out beds for patients and quarantine facilities running out of space for repatriates.

“Bwas magpatawag si mayor sa COVID-19 Team sa aton Regional Task Force to re-assess ang response. Nagadamo na aton hospital na full capacity, nagadugang aton locally stranded individuals (LSIs), returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs), and may mga new cases pa kita,” he said in a phone interview on Sunday.

Conlu said there is a need to re-assess the COVID-19 response of the city to ensure that resources will not be overwhelmed.

“Ma-idid naton nga i-deliberate para makita ang mga idugang na response  kag kon ano pa iban resources nga i-mobilize para indi kami maoverwhelm that is why may meeting bwas sa bilog nga agencies and task force,” he said.

Last week, the City COVID-19 Team noted that the cases recorded in the city involved health workers and frontliners.

Despite the decrease in cases, additional cases were still detected in Iloilo Fishing Port Complex (IFPC) and call center firm iQor, according to Conlu.

“Last week, may mga medical healthworkers, frontliners, may ara gihapon sang cases halin sa Fish Port kag iQor kag mga new cases, although naganubo siya hopefully ang response naton nga surgical lockdowns and total lockdowns sa mga barangay to limit the movement of people gabulig panubo,” he added.

As of Sunday, COVID-19 cases in Iloilo City near the 700 mark with 694 cases, 146 recoveries, 14 deaths, and 534 active cases. (ERS)