MMDA calls on private firms to raise WFH set up for workers; NCR girds to face Delta
CHAIRMAN Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. of the Metropolitan Manila Development
Authority (MMDA) appealed to private companies anew to increase their work-from-home (WFH) operations amid the Delta variant threat.
Abalos cited that restaurants and other food establishments should help prevent the spread of the virus by shutting down their dine-in service and focus on takeout and delivery instead.
“They should discuss on their own how to protect the workers and consumers,” Abalos said in an online news conference.
He stressed such measures were done before when the country was placed in a lockdown. Abalos said these could still be repeated while the country remains under general community quarantine (GCQ ) “with heightened restrictions.” Reducing mobility, he said, would greatly help in containing the spread of the virus.
Cases in NCR
THREE to four weeks ago, Abalos recalled that the growth rate of Covid-19 cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) is at -6 percent.
However, for the past one to two weeks,henotedtherewasasignificant increase in growth rate, which is now at 19 percent. Further, the Average Daily Attack Rate (ADAR) in the NCR for the previous three to four weeks is only at 4.69, which is comparatively low as against that of the past one to two weeks which rose to 5.55.
“As it is, there is now an increase of Covid-19 cases in the NCR. In fact, projections made by health experts show that daily cases may reach up to 11,000 by the end of September 2021 with the assumption that Delta variant of Covid-19 is 60 percent more transmissible and that the Preventdetect-isolate-treat-reintegrate (PDITR) strategy and vaccination performance is status quo,” he added.
Marikina
THE Marikina city government has geared up for the possible increase of Covid-19 cases, and prevent the entry of the highly contagious Delta variant in the city after GCQ with heightened restrictions was declared in Metro Manila.
“Ever since the start of the pandemic, we have been aggressive and proactive in our response against Covid-19 to protect the lives of our constituents.
With the threat of the new variant, Marikina will exhaust all possible measures and available resources, as well as to employ stricter protocols to prevent the entry and spread of the variant and stem the increase in cases,” Mayor Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro said.
He said that expanded testing and contact tracing, effective isolation and quarantine, and strict adherence to minimum public health standards are being aggressively implemented to successfully prevent the spread of the virus.
The city government also continue to remind residents to always practice minimum public health standards, even for fully vaccinated individuals.
“As such, the city government will aggressively intensify its inoculation drive to immunize Marikina residents against the dreaded variant of Covid-19.
We implore the national government to deploy additional vaccines to Marikina to boost our inoculation program and vaccinate as much people as possible,” Teodoro assured.
Likewise, the city government said that they are open to the possibility of imposing granular lockdowns in specific areas in the city as part of proactive measures against the dreaded disease.
“We need to be proactive in our pandemic response as the precious lives of the people are at stake,” he said.
Pasay
PASAY City Mayor Emi Calixtorubiano on Thursday said that the city government is doing everything within its power to maintain the number of coronavirus cases to the barest minimum, while also protecting its borders from the possible entry of Delta variant.
In a Zoom interview with the media, she said they are protecting their residents by conducting an intensified information, communication and educational campaign about the dangers of the new variant and the steps on how to avoid contracting it.
Despite a slight increase in cases, Pasay still has one of the lowest numbers of active cases at 80 in Metro Manila, and the City Hall is working double time to further bring it down to the lowest.
Their current contact tracing ratio is currently at 1:22 which is well within the recommended 1:15 or more ratio.
“Right now, Pasay City still has zero Delta variant cases. But even before the declaration of the community transmission of the said variant in the country, we have already met with our barangay officials, Covid team and our health officials to prepare, and if possible prevent its entry to the city,” the mayor said.
According to Calixto-rubiano, they raised the number of isolation facilities and Covid-19 beds, as well as stockpiled on oxygen to prepare for a possible surge, and impose stricter border measures in the localities.
Earlier, the Department of Health (DOH) reported that Pasay City showed an increased two-week growth rate of Covid-19 cases, and its average daily attack rate qualifies as high-risk.
She explained that the increase in the cases came from people who temporarily moved to the city prior to their intended destinations.
Meanwhile, she said that if the city’s growth rate will be analyzed and ADAR using their own data, “we can see that currently, we are at medium risk.”
“That’s why we are now implementing stricter measures and tightening our watch in our borders,” she pointed out.
To prevent the entry of the variant, the mayor said they are conducting regular consultation meetings with barangay officials regarding border controls and implementation of strict quarantine protocols.
Additionally, Calixto-rubiano reminded the residents that their vaccination sites are open Monday to Sunday.
She pointed out that they would continue with the implementation of granular lockdowns, which were proven effective in containing the cases, and are now being adopted also in other cities.