Photo from City Government of Santa Rosa, Laguna/ Facebook
Malacañang on Monday stressed that evacuees that manifest even the mildest Covid-19 symptoms should be isolated within evacuation centers.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque said that while no Covid-19 transmission had been recorded in evacuation centers, local government units (LGUs) should be prepared to address such situations.
“Kahit mild ang symptoms, i-separate na natin sila sa evacuation centers. In other words, mayroong dapat isolation facilities sa mga evacuation centers,” he said in a Palace briefing.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Roque said, had put in place guidelines for disaster response amid the pandemic.
The guidelines include the following:
- preemptive evacuation
- evacuees should have face masks, face shields and observe physical distancing at all times
- evacuees should not be brought to quarantine facilities
- evacuation sites should be pre-identified facilities not used for isolation of Covid-19 patients
- isolation of evacuees exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms
When deciding on emergency measures, Roque said LGUs should rely on science and evidence and consult agencies such as Pagasa and the Department of Health.
The NDRRMC recorded 11 flooding incidents on Monday in Laguna, Camarines Sur, Negros Occidental, Samar, and Apayao, and seven landslide incidents in Laguna, Aklan, Samar and Apayao.
As of 4 p.m., typhoon “Quinta” was located at 310 kilometers west of Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro.
More than 2,800 families have been evacuated in Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol and the Cordillera Administrative Region, according to the NDRRMC. John Ezekiel J. Hirro