LGUs authorized to impose ‘granular lockdowns’: DOH

Health Undersecretary Maria Vergeire (PNA File photo)

MANILA – Local governments can implement “granular lockdowns” if cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in their respective areas increase, a health official said Wednesday.

“May protocols na tayong ginawa para hindi na umakyat sa Inter Agency Task Force ang desisyon, mabigyan agad ng karampatang aksyon, binigyan natin ng authority ang (We already have protocols to provide appropriate action without the IATF having to decide, we gave authority to the) local government units so they can do their granular lockdowns if ever they would see their cases rising,” Department of Health Undersecretary Maria Vergeire said in an online media briefing.

Vergeire was responding to OCTA Research team’s recommendation to the government for a stricter community quarantine in Bauan, Batangas; Calbayog in Western Samar; and General Trias in Cavite.

The team noted that the daily attack rate per 1,000 people in Bauan climbed to 11.9 percent from 6.2 percent while in Calbayog, it rose to 8 percent from 5.1 percent and in General Trias to 7.6 percent from 4.9 percent from Oct. 4 to 11.

OCTA findings also showed Metro Manila, Cavite, Rizal, Batangas, Laguna, Bulacan, Negros Occidental, and Iloilo are Covid-19 hotspots in the past two weeks.

Vergeire said the DOH is not just looking at the increase in the number of Covid-19 infections, saying “health system capacity is now the major determinant” in terms of community quarantine implementation.

“If one place, for example, the hospitals have low utilization, like the temporary monitoring and treatment facilities and then, the efficient contact tracing, they can perform surveillance, testing is appropriate, we may not give them the recommendation to have a tighter quarantine because their health systems can accommodate in case the numbers increase,” she said.

On Wednesday, the DOH reported 1,910 new confirmed infections with 46,627 active cases.

It also said there are 20,700 beds dedicated to Covid-19 patients nationwide. Occupied are about 48 percent of 1,900 intensive care unit beds; 45 percent of 13,300 isolation beds; and 43 percent of 5,500 ward beds.