THE Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (DRRMC) approved the P10-million Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) fund for the Bacolod City Inter-Agency Task Force against the 2019-novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV ARD).
The fund was approved during the emergency meeting of the DRRMC along with Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran and the members of the task force at the Bacolod Government Center yesterday afternoon.
Executive Assistant Jomarie Vargas, head of the cluster Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (DRRMO), said the approved fund will be submitted to the City Council today for its approval.
He said the fund will be handled by the City Health Office (CHO) to purchase personal protective equipment (PPI) for the personnel who handle the persons under investigation (PUI) of 2019-nCoV.
“This will support our task force to purchase the equipment needed to address the 2019-nCoV,” he added.
If it resorts to state of emergency, Vargas said they will use the DRRM Quick Response funds to fight nCoV.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia earlier directed Vargas to work with the budget officer and explore all the possibilities on how they can use the emergency funds to address the 2019-nCoV.
Dr. Grace Tan, spokesperson of the task force, earlier said two persons, one of them a Canadian national, were already quarantined at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) after they presented with signs and symptoms of flue and history of travel.
Vargas said the task force also requested the Bacolod City Police Office to assign personnel at CLMMRH to secure the PUI in the area.
He said the Department of the Interior and Local Government already directed all the police units to assist the health officials who are handling the PUI.
He added the police were task to ensure that the PUI will not leave the isolation area.