Gov’t to consider WHO warning about lifting of Covid-19 lockdown

to the recommendation to allow the travel abroad of health workers with perfected contracts. COVID -19 News

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.

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)

By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos

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).

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, also acting as IATF-EID spokesperson, said WHO’s warning would be taken into consideration when the task force decides on the fate of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) which will lapse on April 30.

“Siguro narinig niyo na rin yung sinabi ng WHO, yung warning nila na countries will have to be careful na hindi ka basta-basta pwedeng maglift (Perhaps, you have heard WHO’s warning that countries will have to be careful about lifting measures against Covid-19),” Nograles said in a virtual press conference aired on state-run PTV-4.

“Iyan po ang masinsinang paguusapan namin sa IATF (The IATF will carefully discuss about) what happens after April 30,” he added. “strict and stringent” set of rules to avoid resurgence of Covid-19 in the Philippines.

“Ngayon po, asahan natin na within the next two weeks, mas ma-control pa natin ang sitwasyon, mas ma-identify pa natin ang mga parameter, mas makikita pa natin ang datos (Expect that within the next two weeks, we’ll be able to control the situation more, identify the parameters, and see clearer data),” he said.

No ECQ extension in Luzon

The imposition of ECQ in entire Luzon was supposed to end on April 12, but it was extended until April 30 in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Nograles said the IATF-EID has no plan yet to extend the ECQ in Luzon.

On Friday, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus advised countries with Covid-19 infections not to be in a hurry in easing restrictions on people’s movement to address Covid-19. Tedros warned that the premature lifting of measures imposed to fight Covid-19 would be “dangerous,” as it could spark a “deadly resurgence” of the new pathogen. The government, Nograles said, is focused on containing Covid-19 while the entire Luzon is under ECQ. He made the statement following claims that there will be another extension of ECQ in Luzon. Nograles merely dismissed the rumor as “fake news.” “Kung may nagpapakalat man nito, hindi po namin pinaguusapan ‘yung extension ng lockdown after April 30. Hindi po iyan totoo na nakapag-desisyon na rin ang IATF na i-extend natin o kung anu-ano man diyan (There’s no truth to the alleged extension of lockdown after April 30. It’s not true that the IATF has already decided to extend the ECQ),” he said.