ASEAN continues ‘best mechanism’ search to curb Covid-19 spread

FILE: The headquarter of Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) in Jalan Sisingamangaraja No.70A, South Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photo By Gunawan Kartapranata – Own work/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

MANILA – The member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are finding the “best mechanism” to further curb the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), a Filipino envoy said Friday.

Philippine Permanent Representative to ASEAN, Noel Eugene Servigon, said for the past few months, the bloc had been meeting virtually to share relevant health information and best practices to address the pandemic.

One of the outcomes is the mobilization of the ASEAN Public Health Emergency Operation Center Network that allowed rapid flow of daily situational updates from one member-state to the group.

“We believe that through sharing of information, we will be able to promote further awareness how to address the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said in a Laging Handa briefing.

Aside from regional talks, ASEAN also engages other partners such as China and the United States to discuss ways to minimize the crisis’ economic and social damage.

On Filipino migrant workers in Southeast Asia, Servigon advised all concerned to directly coordinate with their respective embassies, citing efforts to connect other ASEAN member states to different Philippine foreign posts.

“We have been coordinating with different information agencies in other ASEAN countries and (giving) information about how they can assist our migrant workers through embassies,” he said.