More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
A few weeks ago the government suggested that people wear face shields. Then the LTRFB mandated that all who ride public transportation wear a facemark. Now the DOLE has ordered all workers to wear face masks.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/08/13/2034928/dole-orders-all-workers-wear-face-shields |
“Based on a resolution of the IATF, not only would workers be required to use face masks, but also face shields. That’s the new protocol,” Bello told journalists.
He said employers should provide workers with face shields: “You only have to buy it once and it doesn’t cost that much.”
Although penalties for non- compliance will not be harsh, Bello said employers would be held administratively liable if their offices would not observe the new rule.
Employees who have no face shields would be denied entry.
“We will not suspend or close the company. They will be reminded of the health protocol. It’s excessive to shutter them, it would affect the employees. If there are no offices, there would be no jobs,” Bello said.
The IATF also approved a new workplace policy, mandating that only one person at a time would be allowed in smoking lounges.
“Having two or more is prohibited,” he added. Government officials earlier said face shields are highly encouraged and would soon be required.
Why is having more than one person at a time in smoking lounges dangerous? Bello does not say. At least employers will be paying for and providing the face shields. The fact that there is no uniform ruling about face shields from the DOH like there is about face masks makes all these rules arbitrary. The DOH says the only reason that have not mandated the wearing of them is because of costs.
(The DOH is trying to balance it especially since using face shields also entails cost, so we are really studying whether or not we make it mandatory.)
“But for now we are just encouraging it based on studies that have been done by our local researchers that it adds more to the protection of an individual from this transmission of the disease,” she added.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1319329/doh-wearing-of-face-shields-only-encouraged-and-not-mandatory-for-now
Angeles City has taken the initiative and mandated everyone wear a face shield.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1112281 |
City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin, Jr. issued a memorandum on Thursday requiring all individuals visiting malls, public markets, establishments, and other public areas to wear face shields aside from face masks.
Lazatin said the move is one of the measures to be implemented in the city to curb the rising cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
The government has began distributing face masks.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1112047 |
The country’s poor families and vulnerable sectors need not worry about complying with the health and safety protocols against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) as the government on Wednesday launched a community distribution of free washable face masks to contain the pandemic.
Dubbed as "Bida Solusyon: MaskVIDA (Mask for Vulnerable and Indigent; Delivered and Available) laban kontra Covid-19", the campaign of the Department of Health (DOH) seeks to provide about 30 million free face masks to Filipinos.
During the launch at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City, DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III Wednesday said the program seeks to boost the efforts of the both national and local governments to combat the pandemic while providing livelihood to others.
"Proper wearing of face mask reduces the spread of the virus by 85 percent,” Duque said.
Meanwhile, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez said the initiative was in response to the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte to provide free face masks to each Filipino household.
If the goal is to distribute face masks to each Filipino household they are going to need a lot more than 30 million of them. Experts says wearing face masks alone is ineffective against the spread of COVID-19.
The public is now being told that measure being taken to prevent the spread of the virus are actually no good.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/08/10/2034129/stop-use-thermal-scanners-mists-checkpoints |
According to the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), medical professionals suggested during a meeting last Friday to stop the use of thermal scanners and misting tents at the quarantine control points.
The experts – composed of doctors from San Lazaro Hospital, Sta. Ana Hospital, Chinese General Hospital and the health offices of Quezon City and Muntinlupa City – also recommended a stop to the use of the disinfection tent as “studies show it is no longer effective in the elimination of the (coronavirus).”
One former Congressman has even suggested stopping the use of rapid testing.
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| https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/08/13/20/former-pampanga-solon-wants-ban-on-coronavirus-rapid-test |
Former Pampanga Rep. Anna York Bondoc on Thursday called for a ban on rapid testing for the coronavirus.
The test can yield false positive results that can lead to a 14-day quarantine without pay and discrimination in the community, said Bondoc, a pulmonary doctor and critical care specialist.
Those who get false negative results can further spread the virus, she said.
Dubai, India and 2 states in Australia have prohibited the use of rapid tests for diagnosing coronavirus patients, Bondoc said.
"I'm hoping that the President and the IATF (inter-agency task force) will take a second look at the rapid test and then ipatawag po kami (summon us), let’s talk about it," she told ABS-CBN News' TeleRadyo.
"I do believe that banning rapid test for the diagnosis of acute COVID would be the right step," she added.The rapid test yields unreliable results.
Shell has announced the permanent closure of it's Batangas refinery due to the COVID-19 impact.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/companies/751122/pilipinas-shell-permanently-shuts-down-batangas-refinery-due-to-covid-19-impact/story/ |
Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. is shutting down its refinery in Tabangao, Batangas City as it shifts its strategy from manufacturing to importation to sustain its business amid the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Pilipinas Shell said it is “making strategic choices to secure the long-term sustainability of its business and thrive in both the ongoing energy transition and the new normal created by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The company noted that with the price of fuel products lower than or almost equal to the cost of refining crude oil, the company decided to permanently shut down its refinery operations in Tabangao.
The 110,000-barrel-a-day Tabangao refinery will be transformed into a “world-class” full import terminal to optimize its asset portfolio and enhance its cost and supply chain competitiveness, the company said.
“We have the technical capability and financial flexibility to manage and adapt to disruptive conditions. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global, regional and local economies, and the oil supply-demand imbalance in the region, it is no longer economically viable for us to run the refinery,” Pilipinas Shell president and CEO Cesar Romero said.
Romero said the shift in supply chain strategy from manufacturing to full import, is a move that will further strengthen Pilipinas Shell’s financial resilience “amidst the significant changes and challenges in the global refining industry and the change to the new normal brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
It also prepares the corporation for a future that will rely on more and cleaner energy solutions, he said.
To recall, Pilipinas Shell announced the temporary shut down of the Tabango refinery in mid-May as demand for fuel products saw a drastic decline due to lockdown measures implemented to arrest the spread of COVID-19.
Demand for petroleum products declined by 20% to 30% in March, and by as much as 60% to 70% in April during the imposition of the enhanced community quarantine, according to the Department of Energy.
The transformation of the Tabangao refinery into a full import and storage terminal for finished products and components will translate to an estimated asset impairment of P6 billion to be recognized by Pilipinas Shell in the third quarter.
Demand may have fallen because of the lockdowns but COVID-19 won't be here forever. Will it always be cost effective to import fuel rather than refine it here?
COVID-19 cases continue to rise which is why the government says it is recalibrating their strategies to better respond to the situation.
COVID-19 cases continue to rise which is why the government says it is recalibrating their strategies to better respond to the situation.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1112173 |
"Ang pagkukulang po tinatama na natin at saka 'yung mga comments at suggestions ng ibang mga (We are correcting lapses and the comments and suggestions from the) healthcare workers and medical professionals––is really, we take into considerations," Galvez said in a virtual interview with Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.
Citing the government's past experiences in Cebu City, Galvez said the lack of enough isolation facilities has led to a sharp spike of coronavirus cases.
During that time, he said, some local government units did not strictly enforce isolation protocols, which contributed to the sudden surge of Covid-positive patients.
"About 1,900 individuals have been subjected to home quarantine in Cebu, yet when we implemented strict isolation rules, we have seen a vast improvement on the crisis situation," he said in Filipino, citing the UP OCTA Research Team could prove that cases have decreased and the city's "critical care" for the Covid-19 patients was organized.
"The cases have decreased as well as the fatality rate," he added.
Galvez said cases in Cebu slowed down due to recalibration of the government's action plan and response strategies on the pandemic.Sounds like they will be doing in the rest of the country what they did in Cebu which means strict isolation for COVID-19 patients rather than home quarantines.
There have been liquor bans on and off all across the country but DOLE Secretary says he is against a smoking ban.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1112302 |
"We can't ban smoking because it will adversely affect the tobacco industry," Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a statement, noting that this will not only affect the tobacco companies but also their workers.
Bello said the tobacco industry remits to the government PHP145 billion in excise taxes yearly, employs 2.5 million workers, and contributes heavily to the government’s universal health fund.
He said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) is pushing to ban smoking but he opposed it, owing to its serious repercussion on businesses and employment.
"If we ban smoking, those figures will be severely affected," Bello said, adding that as head of the labor department, his job “is to protect and preserve employment."How hypocritical can this guy be? The ban on liquor has done the exact same thing: affecting jobs and depleting money that would be collected by excise taxes!
The pandemic has not stopped production of television shows in the Philippines but it has caused directors to get creative.
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| https://entertainment.inquirer.net/387371/even-in-new-normal-slapping-and-kissing-scenes-in-films-possible-heres-how |
In “Ang sa Iyo ay Akin,” (ASIAA) the Kapamilya network’s latest teleserye offering, you will witness kissing scenes and jawbreaking on-screen slaps, as well as see lead actresses Jodi Sta. Maria and Iza Calzado attempt to upstage each other.
While kissing and slapping are prohibited in all production sets because social distancing is encouraged to avoid contracting the deadly COVID-19, ASIAA director FM Reyes said the audience could expect these elements in the series.
“Dayaan lang ’yan. You can always position the camera to make it seem like someone is kissing another,” Reyes explained during a recent virtual media gathering organized by ABS-CBN.
“You have to be clever in finding ways to be able to practice social distancing but still come up with scenes that your audience will find engaging and riveting. In the beginning, they get surprised whenever they review each take. They eventually understood what I was trying to make them do, so they took blocking more seriously,” the director pointed out.
In terms of working on the set while at the same time minding the health and safety protocols imposed by the government, codirector Avel Sunpongco said: “It was a really difficult adjustment. We had to undergo rapid antibody testing before we started working. During the actual shoot, we followed rules created by ABS-CBN that was more stringent than the one issued by the government.
“It’s hard to work wearing a mask, especially when you’re giving instructions to your actors. They have to be able to see the expression on your face so they will understand what kind of emotion you want them to express for that particular scene. Luckily, everybody cooperated. We were able to accomplish all our objectives,” Sunpongco said.
Reyes added: “After I learned about the virus and its effect, I said I have to go on living. I can’t let this virus keep me from doing what I do best. As their leader, I had to live by example. I also told them, ‘we have to take care of each other. We have to triumph over this virus.’”At least some actors still have jobs. Elsewhere like in the USA practically all motion picture production has ground to a halt.
Regular Filipinos are doing the best they can to earn money during these times.
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| https://business.inquirer.net/305393/filipinos-eke-out-a-living-online-as-covid-19-pandemic-decimates-jobs-and-incomes |
With at least two million without jobs and over 83,000 businesses shuttered because of the coronavirus pandemic, people here are trying to eke out a living selling anything they can online or knocking on doors from one house to another.
Pilots and flight attendants have hung up their snazzy uniforms and now driving around Manila to deliver dim sum. A popular rapper raps jingles on his Facebook and YouTube accounts to promote his fried chicken business.
Those living in gated communities are setting up Facebook pages to connect buyers and sellers within the neighborhoods. Anything from rugs and air-conditioners, to a used McLaren sports car, is being traded.
Ms Jazzmin San Mateo, a senior high student, says her 40-year-old mother began selling noodles, spring rolls and fried bananas online after she was furloughed from her job as a payrolls officer in June.
Her mother always had a knack for cooking, and had been supplementing her income with a makeshift food stand in front of their home, she adds. The single parent supports four school-going children.From delivery driving, selling home made food, going door-to-door selling fish, and selling things online are just some of the ways Filipinos are scratching by during the pandemic.
Caloocan has banned spitting in public places to stop he spread of the virus. The PNP are now mandating that all visitors to Camp Crame wear a face shield. There are lot of rules to be followed and LGUs are forming discipline brigades to enforce them.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/08/16/2035611/more-emphasis-enforcement-lgus-urged-form-disiplina-brigades |
Local government units have been encouraged to organize "Disiplina Brigades" as part of the government's "BIDA ang may Disiplina” campaign, the Department of Interior and Local Government said.
The DILG again pushes the narrative — disputed by survey data — that the public is to blame for the sharp rise in coronavirus cases since the implementation of general community quarantine, an aporoach that academics and professionals in the health sector have warned against.
"The Barangay Disiplina Brigades shall be composed of community members, including barangay tanods, who will remind their neighbors and friends of minimum health standards and call the attention of those who violate health protocols," the department's statement issued Saturday evening reads.
The department called the program "a bid to change the behavior and encourage discipline among Filipinos." Under the program, Filipinos are urged to practice "B.I.D.A: B - Bawal walang mask; I - I-sanitize ang mga kamay, iwas-hawak sa mga bagay; D - Dumitansya ng isang metro; and, A - Alamin ang totoong impormasyon."
Why not deploy the military instead? That's what Senator Gatchilan thinks should be done.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1112408 |
“I agree that we need to mobilize the military in so far as putting more boots on the ground and enforcing the MECQ because if we don’t enforce the MECQ to the letter, then it is useless closing the economy,” he said. “It’s a double whammy. You don’t stop the virus and you’re preventing people from earning.”
“For practical purposes, we really need to have more enforcers on the ground, and this is where the military plays a very big role. In fact, we in Valenzuela we wrote AFP to give us more military presence kasi nga ang dami naming police na nagkakasakit (because we have many infected police personnel),” Gatchalian said.
Gatchalian also said the display of authority by military personnel compels the public to follow quarantine protocols.
He debunked the notion that the national response to Covid-19 is militaristic, emphasizing that the Armed Forces of the Philippines is not the one enforcing the strategy to beat the virus.
How can this guy call for the military to enforce the quarantine and then say the response is not militaristic? That is insane!
The insanity is not over yet.
The insanity is not over yet.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/751659/palace-glad-only-45-of-filipinos-have-no-jobs-amid-covid-19-crisis/story/ |
(I'm delighted we didn't lose 100% of our jobs despite the extremely long time we were locked down. I'm still surprised at our resilience, and only 45% lost their jobs. It could have been worse because complete lockdown is happening to us.)
This is an incredibly insane statement. Roque is delighted that only 45% of Filipinos lost their jobs? That's almost half the economy gone!!!! Does this man think before he speaks? But it gets better!
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1322876/palace-duterte-gets-regular-covid-19-testing-while-in-perpertual-isolation |
“The President is in perpetual isolation because no one can come close to him. I think sinabi ko na rin sa inyo (I’ve told you), whenever we meet with him, there is a velvet rope that keeps him at least six feet away from everyone else so no one can really come close to the President,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an online briefing.
“He does undergo regular PCR [polymerase chain reaction] tests. Nagrereklamo siya nga kasi paulit-ulit na yung pagsundot sa ilong niya (He’s complaining becuase of the swab tests). And I think it’s also a requirement of Davao City Mayor Sara whenever he goes back in Davao so he complies with the requirements of the local government,” he added.
Hopefully these precautions will protect Duterte from the new coronavirus strain.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/08/17/2035946/new-coronavirus-mutation-found-philippines |
A mutation of the novel coronavirus believed to be more infectious than the original variant has been detected in the Philippines, genomic researchers said.
The new mutation of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been reported to have become the dominant coronavirus strain circulating around the world. Researchers called the new strain G614.
When the outbreak began in the country last March, the original D614 genotype showed up in the positive samples collected by the Philippine Genome Center (PGC). But in a new study, genomic researchers detected both the D614 and the G614.
“We now report the detection of the D614 variant among nine randomly selected COVID-19 positive samples collected in Quezon City in July. In the month of June, both the D614 as well as the G614 have been detected in a small sample of positive cases,” PGC said in an August 13 bulletin.
“Although this information confirms the presence of G614 in the Philippines, we note that all the samples tested were from Quezon City and may not represent the mutational landscape for the whole country,” it added.
People with COVID-19 must quarantine themselves but not all quarantine facilities are safe.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1323550/leyte-town-quarantine-facility-guard-arrested-after-rape-of-patient |
A 49-year-old security guard was arrested on Monday (Aug. 17) for allegedly raping a female COVID-19 patient in a quarantine facility in Villaba town, Leyte province.
The guard, whose identity was withheld by authorities, was also fired from his work after the alleged sexual assault that took place at the village of Tinghub in Villaba, according to the town mayor, Jorge Veloso, in a statement.
According to the 44-year-old female patient, she was raped twice by the suspect. The first rape happened last Saturday (Aug. 15) and the second took place two days after.
Was this security guard looking to get infected with COVID-19? There are easier ways to do that.
Let's end the week the way it began, with face shields! All people in the NCR will now be required to wear face shields and face masks when they leave their homes.
Let's end the week the way it began, with face shields! All people in the NCR will now be required to wear face shields and face masks when they leave their homes.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1323106/face-mask-and-shield-combo-part-of-new-normal |
In the next two weeks, everyone in the National Capital Region, including Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Bulacan provinces, will be required to wear both a face shield and a face mask outside their homes.
Under the new Department of Health (DOH) plan of action, poor people will be provided with both face masks and face shields for their protection.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has cited data that wearing both a mask and a face shield can reduce the infection rate by 93 percent.Now everyone must be bombarded with a disorienting glare when they go about their business.
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