CITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan – Governor Daniel Fernando presented on Saturday the best practices of the province in dealing with the pandemic.
Fernando met with the COVID-19 Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) team led by National Action Plan Against COVID-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., at the Pavilion, Hiyas ng Bulacan Convention Center here.
Fernando said among the measures employed by the province to curb the spread of the disease is the strict monitoring of entry-exit borders, organization of provincial IATF and incident command center, establishment of provincial quarantine facilities for returning overseas Filipino workers, mandated municipal quarantine facilities for asymptomatic cases, and mass testing, among others.
The governor also presented the Bulacan Infection Control Center that opened last May that offers free health care, meals, and rooms for moderate to severe patients; the Bulacan GeneXpert Laboratory which opened in June for COVID-19 testing; and the Bulacan Molecular Laboratory which was launched in July.
“I am proud to say Bulacan is always one step ahead, ito marahil ang dahilan na sa kabila ng aming proximity sa Metro Manila ay naging under control ang rate of infection sa lalawigan. Ang ating ultimate goal is to eliminate the disease pero sa ngayon habang wala pang bakuna (This might be the reason that despite our proximity to Metro Manila we were able to control the rate of infection in our province. Our ultimate goal is to eliminate the disease but while there is no vaccine yet) we have to keep squashing the curve, strive to bring down the number of positive cases.” Fernando said.
“We have implemented zoning containment strategy, innovated a robot roving doctor developed by the Bulacan State University for mild cases to provide medication and monitoring without physical contact,“ he added.
The governor also shared future plans for the province that include the Bulacan ID system, the establishment of Bulacan Community Mega Quarantine Facility at the Bulacan Sports Complex, the COVID Surge Plan or the emergency plan for the sudden rise of COVID-19 wherein more hospitals will be converted to COVID-19 hospitals, rehabilitation and recovery plan, and the proposed launch of Radyo Kapitolyo to encourage citizens to find smart ways to beat the virus.
Galvez cited the importance of contact tracing and commended Fernando for a job well done to combat COVID-19 in the province.
"Bulacan is in the good hands because of the leadership of Governor Fernando," he said.
Aside from Galvez, other members of the CODE team who visited the province in time for its 442nd foundation day are Secretaries Francisco Duque III of Health, Rolando Bautista of Social Welfare, Ramon Lopez of Trade and Industry; Undersecretaries Leopoldo Vega of Health and Bernardo Florece Jr of the Interior and Local Government.
The celebration also saw the distribution of 3,385,000 face masks and face shields from the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NITF) to the 677,000 families; 5,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) for public health offices and laboratories, specimen collection kit and hygiene kits for mothers from the DOH; and the ceremonial “Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio.”