The city government of San Carlos will establish its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to help with its campaign against the coronavirus disease.
This came following the visit of Melquiades Feliciano, Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Deputy Implementer for the Visayas, to the city on October 31.
Mayor Renato Gustilo said the EOC will focus on containing the local transmission in the city. He added that people must heed to health and safety protocols set by the government so they will be safe from the virus.
Joe Recalex Alingasa, public information officer for COVID-19 in San Carlos City, said that the establishment of the center is one of the inputs made by the city during Feliciano’s visit.
“Coordinated and collaborative responses and resources utilization in stabilizing our local situation as we fight the pandemic will be generated in the center,” Alingasa said.
He said that Feliciano recommended that EOC should operate 24/7, equipped with trained contact tracers and swabbers, and that result of swab testing must be within 48 hours. He also recommended there should be a daily data updating, and to discourage home isolation and lockdown close contacts of COVID-19 patients, Alingasa added.
He also said that Feliciano will send in experts to help contain the local transmission of COVID-19 in the city.
As of November 2, the city had 115 active cases, with 150 recoveries and 13 deaths from a total of 278 positive patients.
BORDERS OPENED
Meanwhile, the local government has opened its borders after several months of strict control.
Checkpoints or border controls in Barangays Buluangan, Punao, and Prosperidad have loosened up to realign forces and focus activities on curbing the local transmission in the city.
Police Maj. Mark Angelo Junco, officer-in-charge of the San Carlos City Police Station, clarified that easing of the borders doesn’t mean that residents can now cross anytime they want.
Junco said travel should be for valid reasons, especially to restricted areas as it requires residents to get travel authorities.*