San Juan, Marikina, Pasay suspend classes over COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines — Classes in all levels in San Juan are suspended today after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) gripped Greenhills, the city government announced yesterday.

Mayor Francis Zamora ordered the suspension of classes in public and private schools to give school officials time to sanitize and disinfect their campuses as part of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the flu virus.

Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro also canceled classes in both private and public schools in the city due to COVID-19.

“Teaching and non-teaching personnel are encouraged to report to work to help in cleaning their schools and work areas,” Zamora said.

He has ordered the closure of the prayer hall at Greenhills Shopping Center following confirmation that the country’s first local case of COVID-19 frequented the place.

COVID task force

Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año has ordered mayors in Metro Manila to activate their respective COVID-19 task forces to stop the spread of the viral respiratory disease.

Año said the local task forces should work double time after at least three persons tested positive for COVID-19, including a couple from Cainta, Rizal and another in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

“Local transmissions pose greater chances for the virus to spread. That’s the last thing we want to happen. That’s why we ordered local government units (LGUs) to activate their COVID-19 task forces to prevent the situation from escalating,” he said.

Año said LGUs should step up measures to combat COVID-19. 

The local task forces will be in charge of coordinating directly with persons manifesting flu-like symptoms as well as the transport of patients to the nearest facility of the Department of Health (DOH).

“It is only through cooperation and vigilance that we can guarantee that the virus would not be a greater threat. We ask the public to coordinate with LGUs and other government agencies, especially the DOH,” Año said.

Only about 60.51 percent of the total barangays in the country were able to organize their Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams.

There are 25,411 BHERTs activated, which the DILG said could help the national and local governments in containing the virus.