WITH the emergence of a positive COVID-19 case in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo and the municipal government’s decisive action to subject two of its barangays under quarantine, the Interagency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (ITFEID) should consider setting up COVID-19 protocol and monitoring helpdesks and testing centers in all barangays nationwide.
The worst may not be over yet for our country despite the enhanced community quarantine being imposed in the whole of Luzon and parts of the Visayas and Mindanao. The number of those infected is rising. Perhaps the best way to address this health crisis is to fortify the barangays from the COVID-19 threat through accessible testing and strict monitoring.
We do not want to sound too pessimistic but until after we can actually find a cure to this COVID-19 virus, the worst is not over for us despite all the measures put in place. We have to prepare for a long and hard battle to defeat this disease and our main battleground will be our communities, specifically our barangays.
The more shielded they are from the virus, the better for all of us. If we can promptly detect the disease and isolate those infected in our barangays, we would have a better chance to minimize the opportunity for this virus to spread further to other communities.
The ITFEID should consider activating barangay health workers (BHWs) as part of the country’s frontliners in the fight against COVID-19. These BHWs, which should be equipped with full Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), can be tapped to man their villages’ protocol and monitoring helpdesk and testing centers.
Yes, why not set up barangay monitoring and helpdesks for residents who feel that they may have been infected by the COVID-19 virus? If test kits are already available, they can administer tests with the help of health professionals but if not, these barangay monitoring and helpdesks can help implement quarantine protocols until after the Department of Health conducts proper testing. It is lamentable that up until now, there are very few COVID-19 testing centers.
Barangays are the inevitable frontliners in the fight against COVID-19 because they are the ones who are in direct contact with the people, including those who may have been exposed with the disease. They are also the ones residents and locals more likely trust and go to first.
