LA UNION LEADERS, LINE AGENCIES ON TOP OF BATTLE AGAINST SPREAD OF COVID19
By: Justin Paul Marbella, PIO-MPIU | Photo By: Sonny Buenaventura, PIO-MPIU | Date: March 13, 2020
Following the directives of President Rodrigo Duterte in his speech last March 12, Gov. Francisco Emmanuel “Pacoy” R. Ortega III convenes the La Union Inter-Agency Taskforce for COVID-19 on March 13, 2020 at the La Union Provincial Capitol, City of San Fernando, La Union.
In the meeting, Executive Order (EO) 11 series of 2020, Enhancing the Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force for COVID19 and enjoining all Component Local Government Units and all Public and Private Agencies and/or places where a number of people usually gather to implement mandatory precautionary measures against COVID -19, was issued.
The signing of the taskforce’s Resolution No. 1 s. of 2020 also took place. This resolution recommends precautionary measures and preparatory actions in the Province of La Union relative to COVID-19 such as the identification and preparation of facilities in the province and its component LGUs to serve as quarantine facilities in view of possible surge of COVID19 patients; Provision of proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and trainings to hospital personnel and other frontline service workers including the Barangay Health Workers; Purchase of disinfecting machine to be used for the disinfection of public places in La Union; Issue travel advisory mandating the need for people arriving in La Union from COVID-19 affected countries and provinces including Metro Manila to report to their respective local health facilities; strict monitoring of prices and availability of basic necessities in the different groceries and markets; continuous communication between the Philippine Information Agency, Department of Health, and the Provincial Government of La Union.
Present were representatives from the Provincial Government of La Union Taskforce against Emerging and Re-Emerging Diseases, Department of the Interior and Local Government-Provincial Office, Department of Trade and Industry-Provincial Office, La Union Police Provincial Office, Department of Education-Division of La Union and Regional Offices of the Commission on Higher Education, Office of the Civil Defense, Philippine Information Agency, Department of Health, and Department of Labor and Employment.
Other salient points discussed in the meeting were updates of COVID-19 Cases in the province. As of March 12, 2020, 5pm, DOH recorded zero COVID-19 confirmed cases in La Union, 8 Persons Under Investigation (PUI) who are all discharged already. 28 Person under Monitoring were also recorded of which 20 are already done with the 14-day self-quarantine.
Also, the four-day workweek scheme will be adopted by Provincial Government of La Union (PGLU) starting March 16, 2020, where PGLU employees may work in a flexible schedule between 7:00am to 7:00pm completing 10 hours per day or 40 hours per week except for offices providing health services, disaster relief and response, security and other vital services.
COVID19 is a pandemic disease that currently affects over 100,000 people in 117 countries worldwide.
