President Rodrigo Roa Duterte held a Press Briefing of the Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) which was aired last night Thursday, April 23, and was awaited by every Filipino for updates on COVID 19.
Cybernauts noticed the absence of women in the meeting.
Not a single woman was spotted at the venue during the decision making for COVID 19.
Walang babae sa meeting, no? #pandemicdiary
— James Jimenez (@jabjimenez) April 24, 2020
Maraming women na magaling. But left out as decision makers. https://t.co/4pYIRLFqQd
— Rowena Guanzon (@rowena_guanzon) April 24, 2020
The countries that have had the best COVID-19 responses are governed by powerful women whose leadership enabled them to diminish greatly the impact of the pandemic.
From Germany to New Zealand, the leadership shown by these women should be considered by other countries as possible models in fighting every single problem related to the virus.
Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, urged Germany to take the virus seriously because there was a high probability that it would infect at least 70% of the country.
Mass testing was done immediately, and Germany has far lower cases and deaths relative to other European countries. Restrictions are expected to loosen up soon.
Taiwan has been the most impressive in handling the crisis so far. Under Tsai Ing-wen’s leadership, 124 measures were implemented at the first sign of the virus’s activities. A lockdown wasn’t needed as the country was successful in preventing the spread.
Upon hearing about a new virus, Taiwan sent doctors from their CDC to Wuhan for examination. At the time, Taiwan had an excess of 20 million face masks, and residents had no problems of getting them. The government and people were and still are coordinating with one another which is a big reason for the country’s success in dealing with the crisis.
Taiwan has now been helping nations in Europe and the US by donating 10 million face masks.
Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand did things a little differently and imposed an immediate lockdown, along with displaying a sense of urgency to the citizens by telling them about the maximum level of alert she would put the country under, and why she’d do it.
Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir of Iceland has made testing free for all residents. Schools have not been shut down as Iceland has a tracking system which has proven to be effective, as only 9 deaths have been recorded. Interestingly, Iceland has tested five times as many people as South Korea.
Sanna Marin of Finland showed how a millennial leader can do it too. Marin asked social media influencers to start spreading information about the virus since not a lot of people read newspapers anymore.
Norway’s Prime Minister, Erna Solberg had the unique idea of using the television to directly communicate with the children of the country. Solberg held a press conference where only children were in attendance and no adults. She told the youth that it was okay to scared, and took questions from children nationwide.
Meanwhile, here are some of the highlights during the press briefing.
It was recommended to maintain the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the National Capital Region, Region III, Region IV-A and all other high-risk areas up to May 15.
Provinces considered high-risk in Region III include Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Zambales, and Pampanga. High-risk provinces in Region IV-A are Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Quezon. Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro comprise high-risk provinces in Region IV-B while Albay and Catanduanes are the high-risk provinces in Region V. Benguet in CAR, Pangasinan in Region I.
In the Visayas, the IATF considered the island of Panay (Antique, Iloilo, Aklan and Capiz), Cebu province and Cebu City subject to ECQ, subject to further evaluation. In Mindanao, Davao del Norte and Davao City are considered high-risk, while Davao de Oro (formerly Compostela Valley) is subject to ECQ and subject to recheck.
High-risk areas will be under ECQ until May 15, subject to further evaluation. Moderate-risk areas meanwhile will be under general community quarantine starting May 1, also subject to further evaluation. Low-risk areas will fall under general community quarantine starting May 1, and if there is no deterioration, GCQ will be relaxed leading to normalization starting May 16.
The IATF likewise recommended a set of minimum health standards to be implemented starting April 27. The Department of Health, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Labor and Employment, and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will prepare the guidelines by April 25.
LGUs previously under ECQ but remain under GCQ starting May 1 will allow workers to go out and work in phases. Young people, senior citizens and those with high health risk would have to stay at home.
For GCQ areas, restricted mall opening covering non-leisure shops would be allowed. There will be a mandatory temperature check, the mandatory wearing of masks, and mandatory alcohol use. A limited number of people, particularly those with age 21 to 59, with ID and not looking sickly, would be allowed to go inside.
Priority and essential construction projects would likewise be allowed to resume, subject to minimum health standards, physical distancing, and provision of barracks or accommodation for workers. Public transport modes would likewise be allowed to operate at reduced capacity. Local government units (LGUs) would enforce curfew at night for non-workers.
The decision on ECQ and GCQ were based on the risk of an outbreak. Areas under ECQ would again undergo evaluation if the decision can be relaxed starting May 16, 2020.
