spot_img
28.6 C
Philippines
Friday, March 29, 2024

Local Roundup: ‘Mall shoppers must wear face shields, masks’

- Advertisement -

Face shields and face masks are now required of people wishing to go to commercial establishments such as shopping malls, Malacañang said on Friday.

The Palace gave the order after the National Task Force against the COVID-19 pandemic decided to make the use of face shields mandatory not just in public vehicles and in the workplace but also in enclosed spaces, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.

“Face shields should also be worn in enclosed commercial establishments like malls,” Roque told the state-run PTV-4.

The Transport department earlier ordered all passengers to wear face shields and face masks as protection against COVID-19.

10,000 seafarers sent home

- Advertisement -

The Bureau of Immigration repatriated nearly 10,000 foreign seafarers to their respective countries after they were stranded for many weeks aboard cruise ships in Manila Bay since April due to the pandemic.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said 9,854 alien seamen were processed and cleared by boarding inspectors to leave the country.

Immigration seaport operations chief Alnazib Decampong said the seafarers were escorted to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport after they left their cruise ships.

Rapid antibody tests discouraged

The Department of Health on Thursday said it does not recommend the use of rapid antibody tests for COVID-19 in local government units for supposedly yielding inaccurate results.

In a virtual forum organized by the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told governors, mayors and local health officials that using antibody tests for screening, especially for stranded individuals, were a waste of resources.

She says the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test, which detects the genetic material of the virus, remains the gold standard in the diagnosis of COVID-19.

NZ sends P64.25 million in assistance

The government of New Zealand has extended about P64.25 million in assistance to support the Philippines’ response against COVID-19, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday.

The money, to be channeled through the International Organization for Migration, will give priority to the vulnerable communities affected by the pandemic in Mindanao, the department says.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. conveyed Manila’s appreciation during a meeting with Ambassador Peter Francis Tavita Kell in his office.

Coordinated operations against COVID-19

The Health department in CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) this week started implementing its “Coordinated Operations to Defeat the Epidemic” or CODE strategy to the 30 villages with the highest confirmed or active cases of COVID-19.

According to Regional Director Eduardo Janairo, each barangay will be closely monitored to ensure its accessibility to isolation facilities, including birthing facility, laboratory and dialysis center.

The number of workers in each barangay will also be accounted for, including the presence and assistance of Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams and the Philippine National Police.

- Advertisement -

LATEST NEWS

Popular Articles