The Department of Health (DOH) said that the existing alert level system for Covid-19 will be used as a “risk communication tool” instead of being the “prescribing tool for restrictions.”
DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said during a press forum that the decision was made after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) met with representatives of the DOH and local government units (LGUs).
“So bottom line would be napag usapan na, naandiyan na tayo sa direction kung saan we would like that the alert level system would not be a prescribing tool for restrictions anymore, but would just be a risk communication tool for our local governments, and our people, [or] our public,” said Vergeire.
“So that we are all guided on what should be done kung saka sakali ano ang risk level ng bawat area sa ating bansa,” said Vergeire.
The DOH and LGUs also discussed the frequency of reporting the alert level, if it will still be every 15 days or just once a month.
“These were all the questions given to the local governments, which they have responded to,” said Vergeire.
“At base doon sa mga resulta na ‘yon nagkaroon ng mga rekomendasyon na within the IATF but we cannot say yet because kailangan pa ulit namin ipadala for ad referendum kung papayag na lahat ng members and we will be informing all of you after that,” she added.
— Ronald Espartinez