COVID-19 News to the recommendation to allow the travel abroad of health workers with perfected contracts. Duterte, however, expressed concern that the country might run out of medical professionals to treat local Covid-19 patients. He criticized the US for causing problems by aggressively recruiting nurses instead of relying on their own human resources. He also bared that the IATF-EID expressed hope that not all Filipino nurses would leave the country amid the rising number of cases. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., labor groups, and health workers earlier opposed the temporary overseas deployment ban, saying it violates the right to travel and promotes involuntary servitude.
Gov’t to consider WHO warning about lifting of Covid-19 lockdown By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) earlier imposed a temporary suspension on the deployment of health care workers amid the national state of emergency in the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The agency said the order was issued to ensure that the country has a sufficient number of health workers if the need arises. Among those that are temporarily barred from leaving the country are: Medical Doctor/Physician, Nurse, Microbiologist, Medical biologist, Medical technologist, Clinical analyst, Respiratory therapist, etc. (PNA)
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| APRIL 11-17, 2020
MANILA – The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) will give weight to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) warning that early lifting of lockdown could lead to a “deadly resurgence” of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).