The City of Davao is placed under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) effective immediately until November 30, 2020, following the rise of COVID-19 cases in the city.
Melquiades Feliciano, Deputy Chief Implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 for the Cities and Bacolod and Cebu, has been assigned to head the Coordinated Operations to Defeat the Epidemic (CODE) teams that will be deployed in Davao City to assist in the response activities.
A One Hospital Command Center will likewise be established in the city to ensure an efficient referral system as private hospitals are mandated to increase their ward bed occupancy by at least 20% to 30%.
Further, efforts will be made to address the shortage of nurses in health facilities and to provide additional high-oxygen cannulae, Favipiravir (Avigan), Remdesivir, medical equipment, among others.
Accommodation establishments will be tapped to serve as quarantine facilities for health workers as well as the isolation of positive cases of COVID-19.
Law enforcement agencies are directed to assist in the enforcement of granular lockdowns upon affected communities or clusters, and if necessary, deploy personnel in the city.
The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) in yesterday’s meeting approved, subject to conditions, the conduct of a nationwide Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Consumer Payments Survey; the adoption of the guidelines for the conduct of onsite, written, oral and practical specialty and subspecialty examinations issued by the Philippine Medical Association (PMA); and the onsite conduct of the 2020 Foreign Service Officer Examinations on December 15 to 17, 2020.
Also, the IATF removed the requirement for air carriers to reserve a portion of the aircraft cabin as an isolation area for suspected / ill passengers on board as part of the COVID-19 health protocols for domestic flights.
On the other hand, local government units (LGUs) are instructed to relax entry protocols such as test-upon-arrival requirement imposed upon airline crew layovers/positioning due to emergency situations which include typhoons, volcanic activities, diversions and emergency landings, and other similar unforeseen and time-sensitive evacuations. Airline crew members are also permitted to temporarily billet in accommodation establishments under a “bubble” concept supervised by the LGUs.
The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is also authorized to set up a corporate jet flight maintenance and crew layover hub at the Subic Special Economic and Freeport Zone under a strict “bubble” concept.
Foreign nationals with visas issued by the Bureau of Immigration pursuant to Section 9(d) of Commonwealth Act No. 613, as amended; and those with visas issued by the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan, Cagayan Economic Zone Authority and Clark Development Corporation may be allowed entry into the Philippines beginning November 1, 2020.
Finally, age restrictions, for those below 15-years old and those who are over 65-years old under Modified General Community Quarantine Areas (MGCQ), who are travelling for tourism purposes may be relaxed upon the determination of the LGUs and guidelines to be issued by the Department of Tourism (DOT), the Department of Health (DOH), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
