Vice President Leni Robredo urged the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force to speed up the review of requests for stricter quarantine protocols in certain local government units.
Robredo said Sunday that a number of LGUs have informed the Office of the Vice President of the IATF’s slow response to their appeals for an elevated quarantine status amid a rise in COVID-19 cases.
“Dapat ‘yung ganito mas immediate,” Robredo said during her weekly radio show. “’Pag nag-request ‘yung lokal na mag-shift ‘yung quarantine level, dapat ‘di matagal ‘yung usapan.”
This is because each day of delay could possibly worsen the transmission of the virus in the area, according to Robredo.
“Lalong tumatagal, ‘yung lokal ‘yung nahihirapan mag-contain. Syempre ‘yung magde-decide kasi IATF, ‘di ba? Mabuti sana kung ‘yung lokal sila na lang mag-declare,” she added.
The vice president noted she understands concerned authorities have a lot on their plate but emphasized that time is of the essence when it comes to such decisions. The same goes for addressing medical frontliners’ needs, such as an augmented workforce and the immediate release of compensation and benefits, Robredo said.
The quarantine classifications nationwide for June are expected to be announced by the national government on Monday.
