CSF FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19 CONTINUES. Mayor Edwin “EdSa” Santiago leads the meeting of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) on April 7, 2020 at Heroes Hall to discuss the City’s mitigation and suppression steps against Covid-19.
The City Government of San Fernando vowed to stretch all the mitigation and suppression steps as its fight against the further spread of the coronavirus disease or COVID-19 continues. This was mentioned during a meeting of members of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) on April 7, 2020 at Heroes Hall.
Dr. Renely Tungol, Incident Commander of the CSFP Emergency Operations Center’s Incident Management Team, explained that while the city is planning for the suppression of the disease, it is still currently mitigating the threats brought by the disease.
Several mitigation steps mentioned by Tungol were the mapping activities, capacity building for health workers, construction of triage and isolation facilities, disinfection activities to barangays and major areas, and tapping of facilities for the testing activities, among others.
Now that these are implemented, the City is working on ways to suppress the disease’s threats.
STRENGTHENING INFECTION CONTROL POLICY
Topping the list is the strengthening of the Infection Control Policy, which includes the launching of a Health Declaration/Self-Assessment form to be filled-out by Fernandinos to help the City Health Office fast track identification of possible Persons Under Monitoring (PUMs) and Persons Under Investigations (PUIs).
The City is also adapting the directive of the country’s Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on the mandatory wearing of face masks while thermal scanning on the city’s border control will still continue.
MANDATORY QUARANTINE FOR PUMs, PUIs
Along with its stricter border control and quarantine policies, all Fernandinos who wish to go back to San Fernando coming from places with confirmed cases will be undergoing a 14-day isolation at home or at the City’s isolation rooms, depending on the patient’s case.
This move aims to minimize the possible spread of the virus in the community level.
EXPANSION OF TASK FORCES
The City Government has created additional task forces to handle the mentioned emerging and future plans and these include the Task Force Testing Center, Task Force Isolation Facilities, and Task Force Barangay.
The said teams will be composed of different CSF-LGU offices and attached agencies
MAXIMIZING ALL POSSIBLE RESOURCES
With all these mentioned, Mayor Edwin “EdSa” Santiago vowed to maximize all possible resources as the national government extended the Enhanced Community Quarantine until April 30. In terms of financial and manpower aspects, Santiago said the City Government will continuously speak with its partner agencies while the local government is working.
“We will stretch and maximize our resources depende sa panahon. Ipagpapatuloy natin ang ating trabaho sa lokal na pamahalaan at patuloy tayong makikipag-tulungan sa iba’t-ibang ahensyang ating katuwang, lalo na’t ayon sa kasalukuyang sitwasyon, pinalawig ng ating pamahalaan ang Enhanced Community Quarantine,” he said.
