DOH-10 lauds city hall, Deped-10 disinfection initiative

By URIEL C. QUILINGUING
Contributing Editor

An official of the Department of Health-10 last Friday commended the city government and Department of Education-10 here for disinfection initiatives to mitigate coronavirus transmissions.

Dr. Ian Christian Gonzales, infectious diseases cluster head of DOH 10, said the disinfection activities of local governments and government agencies are laudable responses to contain the coronavirus disease spread.

Gonzales’ reaction came after personnel from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department and City Fire District Station 69 used bleached water in drenching the streets at Divisoria last Thursday night, hours after Mayor Oscar Moreno placed the entire city under community quarantine.

On that day, a team from the local Bureau of Quarantine assisted Deped-10 in disinfecting the education agency’s three-story building at upper barangay Balulang this city.

“We also had our office disinfected a week ago,” said the DOH-10 infectious diseases chief who urged other government offices and local governments to do the same.

Deped-10 had room-to-room sanitation in support of the education department’s nationwide campaign since many of its personnel are under self-quarantine until the end of the month, having traveled to and from Metro Manila.

Some 197 individuals, composed of Deped 10 officials, teachers and learners have already been listed with the DOH 10’s persons under monitoring (PUM) for Covid-19 surveillance.

The number excludes Northern Mindanao’s participants to the National Schools Press Conference and National Festival of Talents who came home before President Rodrigo Duterte declared on March 15 community quarantine for Metro Manila.

Earlier, education secretary Leonor M. Briones recommended telecommuting as an alternative work arrangement that allows employees to work from home or other off-site locations. It is prescribed under Deped Memorandum No. 043 which Briones issued March 15, this year.

The same memorandum provides exemptions to PUMs and patients under investigations (PUIs) — if there are, as well as those with pre-existing health conditions to personally report to the office during the state of health emergency duration.

Aside from Thursday’s daylong disinfection and clean-up of various Deped-10 offices, every employee and visitor is subjected to thermal scan, required to step on a foot-bath and to sanitize their hands before entering the building.

The City Health Department with Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams focused the disinfection campaign to places of prayer and worship earlier this week.