All-out (proactive) war vs. COVID-19 needed

By Ermin Garcia Jr.

  

THE` objective of the extension of the Enhanced Community Quarantine in Luzon till April 30 is to finally establish with certainty that the contagion of COVID-19 will be stopped.

Indeed, the whole exercise for the 45-day lockdown would come to naught with serious implications if that objective would not be accomplished. Our government already pulled out some P220 billion from the 2020 budget to support the lockdown at the expense of our government’s major infra development projects that would have allowed our country do a real catch-up with our neighbors in Southeast Asia.

But one thing is even more certain after April 29, our government cannot afford to spend another P220-billion to support another extended lockdown beyond April 30.  As President Duterte said, he would have to sell government properties and borrow from international lending groups to support an extended lockdown. We can’t go in that direction and risk our country’s security and development.

Note that Wuhan City in China took at least 76 days… how in the world can our country support a lockdown for another 31 days after April 30?

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NOBODY BUT US.  Pangasinan should not wait for the national government to decide what courses of action should be taken to bring us to zero COVID-19.

The next step is up to us in Pangasinan, not DOH, not DILG, not DSWD, not any of the senators or congressmen. It’s US, NOBODY ELSE.

We have to take the matter into our own hands and be responsible and be accountable to no one else but US.

It is now up to Gov. Pogi to rally all Pangasinenses to that one goal – to be Zero-COVID, before and after April 30!

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PROACTIVE ACTION.  I don’t doubt mass testing will go a long way, but there is one step in the process that we must take to make sure that the planned mass testing will serve our purpose.

But since mass testing will be mainly for PUIs (and hopefully for Persons under Monitoring, too), there remains a large sector of indifferent persons, afraid to admit they are infected but in denial, who must be exposed to proper and to whom timely treatment can be extended.

Our provincial, town and city governments must already shift to being proactive, and not remain reactive. Our local governments must go on the offensive- to SEARCH, IDENTIFY, TEST and HEAL our folks in the barangays.

It is in this regard that I propose that the provincial government utilizes the barangay political structure for an ALL-OUT CAMPAIGN IN THE BARANGAYS.

Here’s how such a plan can be implemented:

1. OBJECTIVE: ZERO COVID-19 BEFORE APRIL 30!
2. LAUNCH: “OPLAN PUM – PUI SA BARANGAY”
3. STRATEGY:

– Direct a HOUSE-TO-HOUSE THERMAL SCANNING.

– Organize TEAMs (3 volunteers per team) to cover each street and sitio in the barangay.

– Arm each team with BARANGAY ID with authorization letter from Kapitan, provide PPE and mask, and at least 1 THERMAL SCANNER.

– Send teams to check status of all persons residing in one house in the SITIO/ BARANGAY. (Residents must be required to go out of their houses to be tested by teams).  Residents who are ill and cannot leave houses must be noted for the advice of BHW.

– Each street must be revisited every other day.

4.PROTOCOL:

– All residents with body temp of 37+ must be listed as PUM; those with COVID-19 symptoms as PUI.

– BHWs will visit all listed PUIs and PUMs daily.

– Residents listed and confirmed by BHW as PUI should be endorsed to  municipal/city health office.

5. BARANGAY SUPPORT: Pay volunteers P300 daily.
6. ACCOUNTABILITIES: All barangay kapitans, mayors and DILG directors should be made accountable under the BAYANIHAN ACT 2020.

– The MAYOR and or municipal/city DILG Director should suspend the Barangay KAPITAN that fails to account all the infected residents in his jurisdiction.

– The GOVERNOR should suspend the MAYOR and MUNICIPAL/CITY DILG DIRECTOR if 2 KAPITANS in the town/city fail to account for all the infected residents in their respective barangays.

Our April 30 cut-off is our make or break opportunity to defeat COVID-19.

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