"ANG pag spread sa virus, depende sa batasan sa tao. If they follow, mapadali ang pag stop sa spread sa disease. Pero kung dili na mabuhat, madugay gyud ta. (The spread of the virus depends on the attitude of the people. If they follow, it would be easier to stop the spread of the disease. But if they don't, it would really take us a long time)."
This is what Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio said during a radio interview on Davao City Disaster Radio 87.5 on March 21, 2020.
She encouraged Dabawenyos to be honest about their condition and travel history when asked by medical professionals.
Duterte-Carpio said this is essential for the safety of both the public and the health workers.
Recently, there have been reports of health workers getting sick after some patients under monitoring (PUMs) or patients under investigation (PUIs) who are not being totally honest with their condition or travel history.
The participation of the public in battling the spread of Covid-19 is important. This means that we listen and obey the guidelines set by the local government unit or national government.
Think of it also as a way to help our health workers who are working hard to meet the medical demands of today. We are not only helping health workers but also those working with them like janitors, drivers, security guards, and other non-medical workers.
Those in the hospital right now are the frontliners in the battle against Covid-19. They will need all the support they get, not only in goods and words but also in our actions.
Aside from being honest to health workers, those who have influence, money, and power, should not be jerks and use those to do whatever they want. If the instruction is to be quarantined in the hospital or isolation facilities, you must listen and obey the health workers.
The public must also refrain from spreading unverified information that will cause confusion. Likewise, our government officials must also practice discipline in what they put online. During these times, it is important that information pertaining to Covid-19 must be released by officials who are allowed to release such information. If it is not yet released officially by Department of Health, the local government unit, other government agencies, or the designated information officer, then some information are either unverified, misinformation, or unofficial.
However, it is also important for the government to communicate clearly to the public its guidelines and updates. It is important that they are also quick on their toes to extinguish false information and set the record straight when there are confusion.
Lastly, it is crucial for the public to obey the guidelines placed by the government. These guidelines are meant to protect the community as a whole from the spread of the virus.
In times of Covid-19, it is important that we take part in the efforts in preventing the spread of the disease by listening and obeying the guidelines placed by the government. We are not only helping the government but we are also helping our frontliners in battling Covid-19. Our success in this battle will be how well we work together. Let us not wait for the situation to worsen before we follow the government.
"Ang success sa quarantine would depend sa compliance sa mga tao, nga nakasabot sila nga kinahanglan nato maputol ang pag spread sa disease. (The success of the quarantine would depend on the compliance of the people. That, they understand we need to prevent the spread of the disease)," Duterte-Carpio said.