WITH nearly 400,000 people set to return home from crowded evacuation centers, the Department of Health (DOH) on Monday, November 2, 2020, urged local government units (LGUs) to screen the evacuees for symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said this may be done in lieu of Covid-19 testing.
"In the ideal setup, it is best to have everyone tested before they go back to their communities,” Vergeire said in a virtual press briefing.
She said evacuation centers have the potential to be a superspreader event.
"It (superspreader) is possible with this kind of infection that's present in our population," said Vergeire.
She said symptoms screening and monitoring after staying in evacuation centers should be in place.
"We need our Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams mobilized to monitor those returning to their communities. Symptoms screening is our recommended way for now," she added.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, a total of 108,555 families or 389,867 individuals needed to be brought to evacuation centers due to Super Typhoon Rolly, a powerful typhoon that barreled through Bicol and Calabarzon regions on Sunday, November 1.
Local governments enforced preemptive evacuation among residents of low-lying areas, coastal communities and other areas vulnerable to flooding, landslides and storm surge. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)