City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) Head Antonette Anaban is recommending the mandatory isolation of returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and Overseas Filipinos as part of the Summer Capital’s contingency plan against the Covid-19 Omicron variant.
She made the recommendation during the management committee meeting on Dec. 6.
Anaban said the contingency plan’s four goals are to suppress transmission, reduce exposure, protect the vulnerable, reduce mortality and morbidity from all causes, and save lives.
She also advised that the city government extends its contract with Teachers’ Camp as an additional isolation facility and repair of the Baguio City Community Isolation Unit including the constant monitoring of isolation facilities’ occupancy rate.
These activities are under the plan’s mandatory facility-based isolation/quarantine priority area with the Office of Workers Welfare Administration and the Health Services Office as the lead agencies, Anaban said.
The other priority areas are to ramp up vaccination of priority groups, implement stricter border control, continue granular lockdowns, monitor critical supplies and equipment, monitor strict compliance with minimum public health standards, and activate contingency plans of hospitals including their accordion policy.
Other priorities are to strengthen risk communication, restrict unvaccinated individuals in their homes unless with valid reasons to go out, provide patient transport service, conduct contact tracing; emergency hiring of health workers, regulate mass/social gatherings, tourism events, triage resources, and Covid-19 appropriation. – Gaby B. Keith
