DepEd: No need to suspend classes amid COVID-19 threat

MANILA -- There is no need to suspend classes in high schools nationwide amid coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) outbreak, an official of the Department of Education (DepEd) said Monday.

In a radio interview, DepEd Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del Pascua said that suspension of classes depends on the alert level raised by the Department of Health (DOH) in the country with regard to COVID-19.

“’Yung unang level of response, ‘yung criteria or premise po niyan kung meron na po infection sa ibang bansa, at dito naman po sa ating bansa, ‘yung level 2, kung ‘yung infection sa ibang bansa ay nakarating na sa Pilipinas, at ‘yung level 3 naman po ay kung yang infection ay mayroon na nanyayari na sa mga eskwelahan, sa komunidad at ang level 4 naman po, merong transmittal ng infection sa estudyante sa mga eskwelahan at sa mga community (The first level of response, the criteria or premise for that is if the infection is in another country, and here in our country; level 2, if the infection from other countries has reached the Philippines; level 3 is when the infection happens

in the school, the community; and level 4, there’s transmittal of the infection among students in schools and communities),” Pascua said.

He added that suspension of classes only happens when alert levels 3 and 4 are raised.

Since the country is now free after the three positive COVID-19 cases, the DOH has changed the alert level from level 2 to level 1.

“Na-contain na po ang infection ng virus dito sa Pilipinas. Mataas po ang alert level ng World Health Organization [WHO] sa ibang bansa, pero dito po sa loob ng Pilipinas, contained po and virus sa ngayon (The infection of the virus in the Philippines has been contained.

The WHO raised high alert levels in other countries, but here inside the Philippines, the virus is contained at the moment) according to the DOH,” Pascua said.

On Monday, Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire reported that the number of discharged patients under investigation (PUIs) for COVID-19 went up to 592 from 588 on Friday and that there is a downtrend in the number of admitted PUIs in various health facilities nationwide with only 43 cases to date.

“This (downtrend) may be attributed to our strengthened surveillance, early travel restrictions, and enhanced laboratory processes,” Vergeire said.