KALIBO, Aklan – The national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) has approved the recommendation of the Western Visayas Regional IATF and Regional Task Force (RTF) for the escalation of Aklan’s quarantine classification.
In Resolution No. 130-D dated Aug. 1, upon the recommendation of the Screening and Validation Committee, the national task force approved the shift of risk-level classification of Aklan from General Community Quarantine with heightened restrictions to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) until Aug. 15.
After a thorough review and discussion, the Joint RIATF-RTF COVID-19 found merit in the request of Aklan governor Florencio Miraflores to escalate the province’s quarantine status.
In his letter to the WV RIATF, Miraflores cited the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in Aklan.
He said the escalation to a higher quarantine classification would ensure that the provincial healthcare system, which is already at high risk, won’t reach critical level.
“In just a span of seven days, our healthcare utilization rate already shoot up as it reached to more than 80 percent and the danger of being overwhelmed is already there,” he said during the Joint WV RIATF-RTF meeting on July 30.
He added that their healthcare workers were also overwhelmed and exhausted.
Despite the approval of his request by the Department of Health (DOH) for budget for the recruitment of additional health care personnel to augment their province, Miraflores said only two nurses, one medical doctor and one medical technologist “answered the call.”
DOH Region 6 approved for the recruitment of 10 doctors, 30 nurses and five medical technologists to augment the province of Aklan.
According to the governor, the impact of the restrictions to be implemented in the National Capital Region on Aug. 6 to 20, 2021 is also an opportune time to impose higher restrictions in Aklan, considering that most of the tourists going their province were from the National Capital Region.
Aside from the request by the RIATF-RTF 6 for the escalation of the Aklan’s community quarantine status, the Joint Resolution No. 20, Series of 2021 also requested for the expeditious provision on all possible means of assistance to the province of Aklan within the implementation of the escalated community quarantine status.
The move of the Joint Task Forces to approve and favorably endorse the Aklan province’s request came after discussions by the major RIATF clusters, particularly those led by the DOH, National Economic and Development Authority, Philippine National Police and Department of Social Welfare and Development and other line agencies.
The joint meeting was presided by RTF 6 and Department of the Interior and Local Government Regional Director Juan Jovian Ingeniero, and RIATF 6 Chair and Office of the Civil Defense Regional Director Jose Roberto Nuñez. (With a report from JBG, PIA-6/PN)
