More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
Lockdowns are here to stay but this time they will be "granular" rather than city-wide.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1488284/here-we-go-again-new-lockdown-system-same-covid-surge |
After over a week of delay, the Philippine government finally decided to implement a shift in community quarantine status for Metro Manila to a new system, which was supposedly simpler, starting on Sept. 16.
Metro Manila has been placed on Alert Level 4 until Sept. 30 as part of the pilot run of the new system of lockdown, which officials called granular because it would not cover entire cities or entire regions.
In a radio interview on Sunday (Sept. 12), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said the pilot run for a localized lockdown system will not come with warnings.
“The smaller the granular lockdown imposed, the better for our countrymen. If possible, only one, two, or four houses [will be] covered. If there’s community transmission, only a street,” he said.
“But it will not come with a warning. You’ll find out only once imposed. The only one to know will be the city health office, which has the data,” said Malaya, adding that warnings could “defeat the purpose” of the government plan.
But Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año on Tuesday (Sept. 14) said there have been revisions in the new lockdown system.
Año said the local government or local officials have the authority to declare a localized lockdown. “So actually it’s up to them whether they will give a warning or not,” he said in Filipino in an interview with GMA’s Unang Hirit radio program.
Diño also urged the public to report violators.
“It is your obligation to report to the barangay so they can get the names and file cases [against the offenders],” he said speaking in Filipino.
“We are protecting lives here. [Violating quarantine rules] is worse than stealing something from someone because you are robbing peoples’ lives,” he added.
"You are robbing peoples' lives." The virus has an over 90% survival rate. If you get it you are not going to die. Locking people down all of a sudden without warning is going to totally disrupt those peoples' lives and cause much more chaos. It certainly won't save lives.
Surely everyone has heard of the Three R's, Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. They form the core of all education. Now comes the three C's to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1153648 |
The Quezon City government on Wednesday reminded its residents and establishments to avoid the "three Cs" to control the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
“All establishments must, to the greatest extent feasible, implement minimum health standards to avoid or mitigate the following “3 Cs”: Confined spaces with poor ventilation; crowded places with no physical distancing; and close-contact settings with face to face interaction,” according to the Sept. 14 memorandum released by Mayor Joy Belmonte and to take effect on Thursday.
The memorandum contains the guidelines to be observed during Alert Level 4 status until Sept. 30 and in the Special Concern Lockdown Areas in the city.
The city government may order, at any time, the closure of an establishment, even if they are listed under those that are allowed to operate if they violate the three Cs, Belmonte stressed.
She said establishments that are confined and enclosed must either ensure sufficient ventilation through open windows or maintain efficient air conditioning systems following applicable building and health standards.
To avoid being crowded, the city government said establishments should enforce the observance of two meters distance among all persons, or at least with a one-meter distance as the absolute minimum, when completely unavoidable.
Moreover, establishments are encouraged to implement a contactless transaction whenever feasible, by using online facilities, touchscreens, or placing cash in baskets instead of transferring payment, and documents among others through hand-to-hand.
It certainly is a Catchy Campaign but it probably won't save lives since the virus has an over 90% survival rate anyway. Speaking of catchy the writer of the song Pusong Bato died after he was turned away from 32 hospitals.
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| https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2021/09/15/2127384/pusong-bato-hitmaker-dies-after-reportedly-rejected-32-hospitals |
The singer-composer of the Original Pilipino Music hit song “Pusong Bato” died due to respiratory complications.
Renee "Alon" dela Rosa died earlier today at the Novaliches District Hospital. He was 61.
His wife Raquel Hernandez told ABS-CBN in an interview that they are still awaiting for the results of his COVID-19 test. She also said that her husband was rushed to at least 30 hospitals, but they were turned away because of overcapacity.
Hospitals in the country are so full they can't accept any more patients it seems. They even have some patients waiting in tents. It's a real mess and just goes to show how ill-equipped and inept the healthcare system is in this country.
Last week there was a COVID-19 outbreak in an orphanage. This week there was an outbreak in a convent.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1153675 |
The Quezon City government is looking into the possible cause of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak in a convent in the city after 114 persons have been infected.
A total of 64 nuns and 50 of their staff of lay partners, health aides, caregivers, a nurse, and drivers of the congregation of the Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM) located in Cubao yielded positive swab test results.
Quezon City's Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (CESU) said Wednesday that 22 of those infected are asymptomatic, 86 experiencing mild symptoms, four are moderate, and two are severe and currently in the intensive care unit.
No one among the nuns have been vaccinated against Covid-19 after they canceled their vaccination schedule, the CESU said. The staff, however, have been fully vaccinated.
Interesting that 54 people got infected despite being vaccinated. It's as if the vaccine doesn't actually vaccinate you.
Also last week a school teacher told how he pasted the faces of his students on their chairs so he could interact with them despite all classes being online. This week another teacher says he has done the same thing but not with pictures of her students.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1153807 |
A senior high school teacher of Ciriaco L. Icamina Sr., National High School (CLISNHS) in Barangay Bulabud, Malinao, Aklan has used two anime characters to connect with her students.
Instead of the original photos of her 25 learners, Jocelyn P. Villanueva placed the popular anime images on the assigned seats for her learners' modules.
“I am thinking that our high school students are fond of games and animations so I tried to keep up with them since I am also a mother and at the same time their teacher-adviser,” said Villanueva, adviser of Grade 11-Section Lotus, said in an interview on Friday.
“I think they understood that I just used animation as an art inside the classroom. Although we cannot have a face- to- face conversation to explain it, but I think it has good effects because they got inspired to see their name in that animation,” she said.
However, she admitted that she was unfamiliar with the characters she used, not even their names.
Villanueva said she was told by a student that the characters she used were fan art anime characters.
She said she just found the drawings of female and male anime characters cute when she did her research.
It would have been a lot more awesome if this teacher had used actual anime characters, say Gohan for the boys and Bulma for the girls, instead of two random pictures she found on the internet.
People tired of all the lockdown nonsense held a rally this week. The PNP patted themselves on the back for "exercising tolerance."
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/metro/803840/cops-exercised-tolerance-at-manila-anti-vax-rally-mpd5-oic/story/ |
Police personnel acted with maximum tolerance on protesters at the anti-COVID vaccine rally held at the Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila on Saturday.
Manila Police District Station 5 (MPD 5) acting chief Police Lt.Col. Elmer Oceo told Super Radyo dzBB on Sunday that the protest rally peacefully ended, and that his personnel reminded the militants to wear their mask always while staging their protest.
(Protesters had a candle-lighting event. We observed that when they speak at the rally they take off their face mask. To avoid creating tension, we just reminded them to wear the mask all the time during the gathering.)
An earlier report on dzBB said that members of militant group Gising Maharlika staged a protest rally on Saturday evening calling the government to end some of its mandated protocols against the spread of the coronavirus.
The group particularly called on the government to end its mask mandate, and the vaccination program against COVID-19.
According to the report, the militants also called on the Department of Health (DOH) to stop lying about the deaths that the anti-COVID vaccines have caused.
For his part PNP Chief Eleazar had a warning for these protestors.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1153967 |
Freedom of expression and public health should be tightly balanced in this time of the pandemic, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar on Sunday said as he warned some anti-vaccine individuals for defying the quarantine protocols by holding protest actions.
This, after members of the group Gising Maharlika recently held a protest action with most of them not wearing face masks at the Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila to oppose the vaccination program of the national government.
Eleazar said he respects the belief of some Filipinos who still say there is no Covid-19 “(but you should learn to respect the belief of majority of Filipinos, including those who have family members who died and become infected especially our healthcare workers on the frontline of this battle).”
“Holding protest actions to insist on what you believe in does not make it right. It is but plain and simple acts of defiance and irresponsibility because you are putting our personnel and other civilian population at risk of being infected,” he said.
He said the PNP will strictly monitor if there will be protest actions by anti-vaxxers that would violate the minimum public health standard.
“(The police have shown maximum tolerance and respect for your beliefs when you staged a protest action without wearing protection. I warn you that you may not be tolerated if you repeat the insult to the beliefs of majority of our countrymen and your insult to public health policies),” Eleazar said.
What does it matter what someone believes? I thought we were al trusting the science. The science says that COVID-19 has an over 90% survival rate, that neither face masks not face shields prevent transmission, and that the vaccine does not actually vaccinate anyone as you can still get the virus after getting the shot. Those are facts and no amount of crippling lockdowns or senseless government polices will change that.
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| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/21/21/yellow-tagging-covid-homes-not-against-the-law-dilg |
"Yellow-tagging" houses with COVID-19 cases in Pateros does not violate the law because it is voluntary, an official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government said.Interior Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs Martin Diño made the statement amid concerns that placing yellow ribbons outside the homes of COVID patients in Pateros violates RA 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act.Section 9 of the said law prohibits the unauthorized disclosure of private and confidential information pertaining to a patient’s medical condition or treatment.“So that's the Mayor's answer, this is voluntary, so if, for example, what is really voluntary, I don't think it will be violated, because if, for example, you say 'Mayor', don't put it there, anyway. We are locked down, we are already on the lookout, so that was the Mayor's immediate answer there, ”Diño said in an ANC Rundown interview."So what the Mayor's opinion is, that's also my opinion," he said.Pateros Mayor Miguel “Ike” Ponce said Monday that he ordered the tagging policy last week to ensure the monitoring of residents infected with coronavirus."You will be placed if you are willing. If you are not willing, we have no problem," he said.
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| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/22/21/official-eyes-rule-to-wear-vaccine-cards-on-lanyards |
An official on Wednesday suggested requiring the public to carry their COVID-19 vaccination cards on lanyards whenever going outside their homes, as the Philippines continued to fight an uptick in coronavirus cases.
Interior Undersecretary Martin Diño noted restrictions in Metro Manila that limit indoor restaurant dining to small groups of fully vaccinated individuals.
(I will request the inter-agency task force to order these to all barangays in what I hope will be a sacrifice from all vaccinated Filipinos: If you are already vaccinated, once you go out your home, wear your vaccination card.)
He then showed his own vaccination card hanging from his neck on a lanyard.
(How will you know someone is not vaccinated if they are not wearing their vaccination card? When you go outside the house, you will no longer be bothered by policemen or barangay officials who may ask you, 'Where is your vaccination card?' because it's already hanging on your chest.)
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