The government is targeting a zero transmission of COVID 19 under “Oplan Kalinga” as it urged persons who are asymptomatic or with mild symptoms to be confined to government isolation facilities and be treated without paying anything.
In an interview, Palace spokesperson Harry Roque said COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms and those who are asymptomatic but do not have the ideal home quarantine could get in touch with their local government units (LGUs) and have themselves picked up and brought to a quarantine facility through the Oplan Kalinga program.
He said isolating persons with COVID 19 but not experiencing any symptoms was the best way to stop or delay the spread of the deadly disease.
“Our isolation centers are air-conditioned. Food is free and with free wifi. You are welcome here,” Roque said.
“Oplan Kalinga is a program launched by the national government to accommodate COVID-19 patients who do not have their own room and own toilet where they can isolate themselves, or for those who have household members who are elderly, with existing diseases, and pregnant women,” Roque said.
The Palace spokesman said this would reduce the risk of more infections in the household and communities, and to identify and isolate infected individuals in proper isolation and quarantine facilities.
The Palace official admitted that the curve could not be flatten unless measures such as isolating COVID patients living in densely populated areas be separated from their community.
“So—if we can meet a zero transmission, why not? We should have done it before. And right now we are doing it,” Roque said.
ThePalace official also said that the country had conducted one million COVID-19 tests, saying it had already reached more than one million.
“We can conduct 25,000 PCR test a day and we can reach 30,000 PCR test daily in the coming days,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health on Saturday reiterated the conditions before allowing an asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 patient to undergo home quarantine.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV, said those outside, mild and asymptomatic, “might be in our temporary treatment facilities with mega facilities or they could be under home quarantine.”
Vergeire said the DOH was very strict in allowing a mild or asymptomatic patient to undergo home quarantine instead of going to isolation facilities managed by local government units or various agencies.
“We have conditions for people to be under home quarantine, if the person does not meet those conditions, that person cannot be under home quarantine,” Vergeire said.
“These conditions include: there is an isolation room, a separate bathroom; there should be no elderly or pregnant in the household and the person must be monitored closely – for 14 days – by the Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams of the local health office of the local government unit,” Vergeire said.