STRICTER CURBS IMPOSED ON DUTERTE’S DAVAO HOME CITY AS INFECTIONS RISE

The Philippines has imposed stricter movement restrictions on President Duterte’s home city, Davao, after it posted the highest number of new coronavirus cases in the past two weeks.

Davao City in southern Philippines will be placed until end- November under a general community quarantine, where some businesses like hotels and cinemas are shut, and young and old people are required to stay home, according to Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque. “Efforts will be made to address the shortage of nurses in health facilities,” he added.

Amid the rising new Covid- 19 cases in Davao City, the Inter- Agency Task Force ( IATF) decided to impose stricter quarantine measures in the area.

In its Resolution 88 issued last Thursday, the IATF said it has assigned Melquiades Feliciano, deputy chief implementer of the National Task Force Against Covid- 19 for the cities of Bacolod and Cebu, to lead the intensified anti- Covid measures in Davao City.

Among the issues he would have to address is the shortage of nurses raise the supply of medical supplies for Covid- 19 patients such as high- oxygen cannulae, favipiravir (Avigan), remdesivir, medical equipment, among others, in the city.

The decision came after Covid- 19 cases in the city rose to 5,412 on Wednesday from just 3,859 two days before.

The spike also prompted the IATF to push for the creation of the One Hospital Command Center in the city, which will be in charge of efficient distribution of Covid- 19 patients there.

It also ordered private hospitals in Davao City to increase their bed allocation for Covid- 19 patients from 20 percent to 30 percent.

To contain the spread of Covid- 19 in Davao City, its law enforcement agencies were directed to help in the strict implementation of granular lockdowns.

Aside from Davao City, other areas, which were placed by IATF under GCQ up to November 30 were the Metro Manila, Batangas City, Iloilo City, Bacolod City, Tacloban City, Iligan City, and Lanao Del Sur.

The Philippines has Southeast Asia’s secondworst outbreak, with more than 413,000 cases as of Thursday.