NEWS




28August
PHOTO CREDITS TO BEN CAB

BARMM must still “work overtime” on its contact tracing task to prevent spike of COVID-19-CODE Team

SULTAN, KUDARAT, MAGUINDANAO--Health monitoring teams in the Bangsamoro Region must still work "double-time" on its contact tracing task to prevent a spike on Covid-19 incidents.
The Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) Team of the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 made this assessment during A visit to this city Wednesday, August 26, and held a meeting with the Bangsamoro Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) at the OCM Bajau Hall, Bangsamoro Government Center, Cotabato City.

BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim delivered the welcome remarks and saids that he was relieved somehow that the rate of COVID-19 in BARMM is very low but still the BARMM can't afford to be complacent about the sudden threat of COVID. Protection and safety of the people of the BARMM must ensure at all times. We move as one, and heal as one.

Meanwhile, Minister Atty Naguib Sinarimbo of MILG gave updates on the local status of the pandemic in BARMM
National Action Plan (NAP) against COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said during a press briefing that he was happy to know that the cases are low despite the limitation of facilities in the region,” 

Galvez along with Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, concurrent Covid-19 contact tracing czar, came to Cotabato City to assess the region's response against the dreaded disease and get updates on the government’ effort to contain the spread of the virus nationwide.

He said despite the limitations of facilities in BARMM, the region’s Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), with the help of front-liners and LGUs, lived to its task of managing to protect, isolate, and treat Covid-19 patients.

The PCOO chief also commended BARMM for its efforts to suppress Covid-19 infections.

He said through accrediting more licensed Covid-19 laboratories and building more treatment facilities, the government is targeting to test a total of 10 million Filipinos by June next year. 
Galvez, said that the situation of BARMM has the lowest COVID-19 cases among other regions. It just so happened that the COVID cases in BARMM increased due to some programs of the gov't such as the Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs) and Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) to the province. 

He said he is with the BARMM in this predicament. And he is very happy to the leadership of the BARMM for having concrete steps in dealing the crisis, and you are not just looking at the problem as it is but rather offering effective solution.

On the other hand, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong and NAP Contact Tracing Chairman, suggested that the BARMM should strengthen the implementation of contact tracing so that it will prompt to have an indirect treatment to the problem and eventually alleviate the cases to the smallest number.