Highlights of PRRD's address (31 July 2020)

Here are the highlights of the PRRD's briefing this morning, 31 July 2020:

1. UPDATES ON COMMUNITY QUARANTINE STATUS

• GCQ

- NCR

- Bulacan

- Batangas

- Cavite

- Laguna

- Rizal

- Cebu City

- Lapu-lapu City

- Mandaue City

- Talisay City, Cebu

- Minglanilla, Cebu

- Consolacion, Cebu

- Zamboanga City

• MGCQ for the rest of the country

2. ADDITIONAL CONDITIONALITIES IN NCR AND REGION IV-A

• ECQ in barangays where 80\% of COVID-19 cases are located

• Stringent enforcement of minimum standards: social distancing, disinfection, wearing of face masks and face shield

• Face shieldS are now part of minimum health standards.

• Massive targeted testing, intensified tracing, and quarantine of close contacts to be conducted

• 10 million testing kits allocated for barangays under lockdown. DOH is already piloting the use of pooled testing kits in barangays under lockdown.

• Isolation of confirmed cases

• Strict adherence to Oplan Kalinga for isolation of confirmed cases

• Increased bed allotments for COVID cases from 30\% to 50\% of capacity for public hospitals; from 20-30\% for private hospitals

• One hospital command system for a systematic allotment of beds to be implemented

• LGUs are directed to submit monitoring of cases and critical care capacity to COVID Kaya platform

• Other information needed for submission of LGUs: daily trends of cases, cases in isolation facilities and in home quarantine, percentage of contacts traced and in quarantine, utilization of isolation beds, COVID specialty investigation and reports

• Need to submit plans for strict enforcement of minimum health standards in priority areas

• Regional task force units have been told to monitor isolation, testing, treatment protocols of LGUs

• Uniform implementation of protocols in high risk areas: healthcare settings, wet markets, supermarkets, government offices, and workplace among others

• Immediate facility-based quarantine of returning Filipinos

• LGUs will need to pass their COVID-19 response plans and health protocols to help monitor their performance

3. DISTRIBUTION OF VACCINES

• Expected to be available on December from China

• The priority beneficiaries will be poor beneficiaries (poorest 20 million Filipinos), middle class, and the military.

• Upper middle class are expected to purchase on their own.

• The expected budget will be PHP 20 billion for initial access for 20 million Filipinos at PHP 1,200 per treatment.

• The AFP is assigned to lead the distribution of the vaccine once available.

• NPA rebels can receive the vaccine if they leave the military alone until December.

4. DEPED UPDATES

• 31\% enrollment in private schools; 92\% in public schools

• Limited face to face classes will resume on January 2021.

• Dry run for different modes of learning already conducted

5. DILG UPDATE

• JMC issued on easing the establishment of telco towers