SAN JOSE, Antique – In the recent meeting of Antique’s Municipal Council for the Protection of Children, San Jose town Mayor Elmer Untaran echoed the advice of the national government agencies to take precautionary measures against the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country.
“Kun mamati lang kita sa order, wara man may madura kanaton kun mapati lang kita (We will lose nothing if we will just listen and follow the order),” the mayor emphasized.
This came after the Department of the Interior and Local Government ordered the postponement of public gatherings in the meantime to practice social distancing measures.
The Department of Health, on the other hand, is reminding the public to observe proper hand washing and cough etiquette. People should also seek early consultations should there be symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever, cough, sneezing, and difficulty in breathing.
In terms of airport guidelines, meanwhile, the local chief executive said that necessary protocols have been undertaken in the Evelio Javier Airport since it is the vital gateway of Antique and even nearby provinces.
These include temperature screening and completion of a questionnaire containing facts about whether a passenger had a travel history in COVID-19-affected areas and exhibited its symptoms.
An ambulance was also stationed at the airport to bring a passenger to a hospital in case he/she shows any symptoms of COVID-19.
Untaran added that the municipal hall of this province is using thermal guns and hand sanitizers as precautionary measures against the spread of the pandemic virus.
“Before you enter the premises of the LGU kang mga departments, kinahanglan mag-undergo gid sa thermal (inspection), (Before you enter the premises of the LGU, one must undergo a thermal (inspection).” Untaran said.
Meanwhile, the provincial government of Antique issued an executive order establishing and mobilizing Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) to monitor and record individuals with travel history from countries with positive cases of COVID-19 and other emerging or reemerging infectious diseases.
The BHERTs are tasked to report an individual exhibiting flu-like signs as a “patient under investigation” or “person under monitoring” case to their respective municipal health officers.(With a report from PIA/PN)
