City to maintain granular lockdown implementation

The Summer Capital needs to sustain its implementation of granular lockdowns and ensure the sufficiency of food packs amid the impending threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) Omicron variant.

City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head Antonette Anaban said in her update report on the city’s contingency plan on Covid-19 Omicron variant during the regular management committee meeting with local officials, January 4, led by Mayor Benjamin Magalong (via zoom) at Baguio Convention Center.

She said the city continues to monitor occupancy rates of isolation facilities and enforces the mandatory isolation of returning Overseas Filipino Workers and Overseas Filipinos.

Anaban said, however, that there is a need for the city to expand the capacity of its temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMFs) due to the expected Omicron-driven surge of covid cases.

The plan also calls for the activation of other isolation units; repair of damaged beds at the Baguio City Community Isolation Unit and recalibrate the Covid-19 Home Isolation Benefit Package criteria.

Baguio is currently under Alert Level 2.

The contingency plan’s  goals, she said, are to suppress transmission of the virus; reduce exposure; protect the vulnerable; and reduce the mortality and morbidity from all causes and save lives.
Started in November of last year, the plan is also in line with the National Action Plan’s Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate (PDITR) strategy, Anaban added. – Gaby B. Keith