No class suspension yet

THE DEPARTMENT of Education (DepEd) XI is not suspending yet the classes in the region due to the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), an official said.

DepEd spokesperson Genielito Atillo told TIMES in an interview yesterday the “the situation does not merit yet the suspension of classes.”

“What we have from the DOH (Department of Health) is the raising of the alert system to Code Red Sublevel 1. What we need at least to have in order to suspend classes is code

red scenario (Sublevel) 2,” Atillo said.

President Rodrigo Duterte announced the suspension of classes in all levels in Metro Manila from March 10 to 14 following an interagency meeting on the coronavirus outbreak as most of the confirmed recorded cases in the country were from the National Capital Region.

“It’s just Scenario 1, so no need (to suspend) yet,” he added.

He said, however, the department is still monitoring the situation every now and then because their actions will be dependent on the future developments on “the problem of this COVID-19.”

Meanwhile, the DepEd XI official also confirmed that some activities that have been given a “go ahead” last month were again suspended.

This includes the Davao Regional Athletic Association (DAVRAA) meet, initially set on April 1 to 7 at Davao de Oro.

“Indefinite (suspension) until we will be given a green light to proceed,” Atillo said.

The DepEd had issued a memorandum suspending all national and regional activities in compliance of the Depertment of Health’s guidelines in conducting activities that gather huge number of people. The education agency lifted the suspension of major events last month after the situation seemed to have settled down.

“But again, we are now doing it (cancelation) back because we have a worsening kind of situation,” the spokesperson said.

Atillo said the DepEd’s moves and plans will all be dependent on how things will go in the later days with the issue of the local transmission of COVID-19.