MANILA – Davao City will be placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) effective immediately until Nov. 30 following the rise of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in the city, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced Friday.
Roque said Melquiades Feliciano, deputy chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 for the Visayas, will lead the Coordinated Operations to Defeat the Epidemic (CODE) teams that will be deployed in Davao City to help in the response efforts.
“A One Hospital Command Center will likewise be established in the city to ensure an efficient referral system as private hospitals are mandated to increase their ward bed occupancy by at least 20 percent to 30 percent,” he said.
The government would also address the shortage of nurses in health facilities and take necessary efforts to provide more high-oxygen cannulae, Favipiravir (Avigan), Remdesivir, medical equipment, among others, he added.
Accommodation establishments, meanwhile, will be tapped to serve as quarantine facilities for health workers as well as the isolation of Covid-19 positive patients.
“Law enforcement agencies are directed to assist in the enforcement of granular lockdowns upon affected communities or clusters, and if necessary, deploy personnel in the city,” Roque said.
Based on the latest data from the Department of Health, Davao City has around 5,541 confirmed Covid-19 cases, about 1,710 of whom are undergoing treatment, 3,661 recovered, and 170 have died.