fa Fy Republic of the Philippines Region Vili, Eastern Visayas REGIONAL INTER-AGENCY TASK FORCE ON EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES (RIATF8) And REGIONAL TASK FORCE ON COVID-19 (RTF8) JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 22 August 25, 2020 A RESOLUTION ON THE PREVENTION AND MITIGATION OF COVID-19 IN REGION VII WHEREAS, on 08 March 2020, Proclamation No. 922 was issued by President Rodrigo R. Duterte declaring a State of Public Health Emergency; WHEREAS, on 16 March 2020, Proclamation No. 929 was issued declaring a State of Calamity throughout the Philippines for a period of six (6) months, unless earlier lifted or extended; WHEREAS, on 14 August 2020, IATF Resolution No. 63 was released placing Eastern Visayas under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ); WHEREAS, Eastern Visayas had a considerable number of Returning Residents (LSIs, ROFs, BPPs) who turned RT-PCR positive resulting to a surge of confirmed cases from May 25, 2020 to present; WHEREAS, the RIATF through the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 8 received a policy proposal from Municipal Mayor Pelagio T. Tecson, Jr and the Municipal |ATF of Tanauan, Leyte for the prevention and mitigation of COVID-19 in Region 8; WHEREAS, as of August 24, 2020, Department of Health - Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH-EVCHD) experienced a sudden increase in the number of COVID-19 cases with 2,248 cases with 851 active cases and an increase in the number of deaths, where 75% of COVID-19 confirmed cases are returning residents (LSI, ROF, BPP); WHEREAS, on 25 August 2020, during the joint RIAT and RTF meeting, RD Minerva P. Molon of DOH-EV presented the recommendations of the Health Cluster during its meeting last August 20, 2020; WHEREFORE; after careful discussion during the joint RIATF and RTF meeting, be it RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, to approve the following recommendations anchored on public health principles as a guide in the continuing management of COVID- 19 cases in the Region, viz; 1. Pursuant to DOH-OM No. 2020-0258 dated last May 29, 2020 re Interim Guidelines on Expanded Testing and as amended by DOH-DM No. 2020-0258-A dated July 16, 2020, defined COVID-19 Expanded Testing as testing all individuals who are at risk of contracting COVID-19 infection which include the following groups; (a) Suspect cases, (b) Individuals with relevant history of travel and exposure to a confirmed case, and (©) Health Care Workers with possible exposure whether symptomatic or asymptomatic. Conduct of RT-PCR testing shall follow the risk-based approach based on the identified Subgroups A to J of at risk individuals; Due to global shortage of testing kits and other supplies and limitations in local capacity testing, there is a need to rationalize available test kits and prioritize Subgroups A to C; Only symptomatic and/or quarantined symptomatic returnees shall be swabbed and that they should be strictly quarantined for 14 days and that those who are asymptomatic shall be strictly quarantined for 14 days; . Symptomatic patients who have clinically recovered and are no longer symptomatic for at least 3 days and have completed at least 14 days of isolation either at home, temporary treatment monitoring facility or hospital can be tagged as a recovered confirmed case and reintegrated to the community without the need for further testing, provided that a licensed medical doctor clears the patient; . Patients who test RT-PCR positive and remain asymptomatic for at least 14 days can discontinue quarantine and tagged as a recovered confirmed case without need for further testing, provided a licensed medical doctor clears the patient; For the community based management of COVID-19 the Local Government Units (LGUs), their instrumentalities and constituent households and individuals in the prevention of transmission and management of contact, suspect, probable and confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the family and community level, the Department of Health (DOH) with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) are enjoined to adhere to Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 2020-0001 entitled * Guidelines on LIGTAS COVID and the Community Based Management of Mild COVID-19 Cases’. The LGUs use public schools in their locality as their LIGTAS COVID-19 Centers since the Department of Education is allowing the use of public schools as quarantine facilities until December 31, 2020; To prioritize and maximize assistance to LGUs who need most, the National Task Force (NTF) for COVID-19 endorsed the Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) Team approach during localized lockdown is hereby recommended. The team will assess high risk LGUs for compliance to key policies pertaining to Prevent-Trace-Isolate/Quarantine-Test-Treat-Reintegrate: provide technical guidance and develop a recommendatory action plan for implementing Lu; LGUs to encourage the different hospitals to prepare and implement their surge capacity plan and increase their bed reserve for COVID-19 cases up to 30% of their existing bed capacity; 2RESOLVED FURTHER, that a copy of this resolution be furnished to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) and concerned offices for information and reference. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY during the Joint RIATF8-EID and RTF8 meeting held on August 25, 2020 at the DILG Training Center, DILG Regional Office 8, Kanhuraw Hill, Tacloban City. I hereby CERTIFY to the correctness of the foregoing resolution. APRIL JO DILG 8, RI D 8 Secretariat Approved: MINERVA PUMOLON, MD, CESO Ill Regional Director, DOH VIII Co-Chair, RIATF-EID 8 LORD BYRON P. TORRECARION KARL CAESAR R. RIMANDO, CESO IV Regional Dre OCD vill Regional Director, DILG VIII Chairperson, RITF8 ON COVID-19 Chairperson, RIATF-EID 8 Y/