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The Health Professionals Alliance Against Covid-19 (HPAAC) said on Monday that they are against easing physical distancing in public transport.
“It is too early and the number of cases is likely to increase [Covid] and our recovery slowed down [It’s still too early and maybe the cases will surge and the recovery will slow down,” Dr. Antonio Dans said in an online media forum referring to the possible effect of relaxing the distancing rules.
The Department of Transportation (DoTR), on the other hand, said the reduced distancing in PUVs to 0.75 meters from 1 meter per passenger starting Monday poses no such danger if passengers comply with minimum health standards.
The HPAAC is an alliance of more than 160 member organizations of healthcare professionals and health workers working together to address the pandemic.
In a manifesto released by the alliance, the HPAAC zeroed in on the Filipinos’ love for celebrating Christmas with their friends and families.
“The Philippines is the only country in the world that celebrates Christmas as early as September. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, there’s this fear that we might not be able to even see our loved ones during this most-awaited celebration. This is why we call on the government and the Filipino people to join hands to effectively manage the spread of COVID-19 with the dream of having a Christmas where we all can be united safely with our families,” said Dans, an internist, evidence-based medicine practitioner and clinical epidemiologist from HPAAC.
The HPAAC has been engaging with government bodies and the private sector to deal with challenges that we need to address in relation to the Covid -19 pandemic. The coalition of health workers provided updates on key developments:
Transportation Safety: P 9.5 billion was allocated for the transportation sector in the Bayanihan II law. Majority of this will go to investments in active transport infrastructure (P 1.3 billion) and contracting of public utility vehicles to increase people’s transport options (P 5.6 billion).
Strengthening referral network: HPAAC presented perspectives and discussed strategies with the National Task Force (NTF), Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to link the One Hospital Command Center (OHCC) to other non-facility-based services.
Strengthening coordination: The NTF gave out marching orders that processing laboratory results should be hastened. HPAAC will meet with the DILG and NCR LGUs with the goal of having a coordinated referral network to simplify processes for patients.
Workplace Safety: Guidelines on workplace safety have been released. This was strengthened by multi-stakeholder collaboration between HPAAC, DOH, DTI, Civil Service Commission,, Department of Labor and Employment, Philippine Economic Zone Authority implementers from the regions, as well as representatives from the business sector.
Internet Connectivity: Discussions are ongoing with the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) regarding the proposal for a Philippine Digital Contact Tracing Framework. Enabling stakeholders outside of telcos to utilize satellite technology through an executive order is being discussed as a possible way to improve internet access in far-flung areas. This will allow for the creation of better infrastructure to improve contact tracing efforts in the country.
Health Technology Assessment: The Bayanihan II Law provided PhP 10 million additional funding for the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC). HPAAC continues to push for annual funding for the council in the General Appropriations Act (GAA). Rapid reviews were also conducted regarding the use of Rapid Antigen Tests and the proposal to require facility-based quarantine. Medical experts are also working on unified algorithms to provide a summarized and comprehensive compilation of guidelines that will aid in managing Covid-19 patients by healthcare workers from both the community and hospital levels.
Ensuring social support: HPAAC had a dialogue with the DSWD regarding ways to fast-track and improve the targeting of amelioration programs for families affected by the pandemic. The alliance is also in talks with the Quezon City government to promote the establishment of open spaces and pedestrianized streets that will provide added protection from Covid-19.
“Despite these small wins, hindi pa tapos ang kwento, kailangan ituloy natin ang laban [ it is not over yet, we need to continue the fight] There is still a lot of work to be done if we are to beat Covid-19 and observe Filipino-style Christmas, and we can only achieve this through full cooperation between the government, medical workers, key stakeholders, and all Filipinos. Basta’t sama-sama tayo, kaya natin ‘to! [We can do this if we are united]”Dr. In said.
He added that the HPAAC continues to engage with the government and key stakeholders to address the aforementioned issues, and emphasized its commitment to providing the public with regular updates on key developments.
In an online briefing on Monday, Transportation Undersecretary Artemio Tuazon, Jr., said reducing the distance between PUV passengers is unlikely to lead to the spread of infection on daily trips, as each passenger will have the obligation to wear masks and face shields.
“There is not much chance that the aerosol will be passed from one person to another due to some [minimum health standard] layoffs to prevent its spread, “said Tuazon.
He noted that social distancing requirements are not strictly enforced on airplanes as they meet the strict measures of the International Accreditation Organization (IAO).
Tuazon said that reducing social distancing will allow USPs to carry more passengers.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) approved the policy last week.
During that meeting, he said that no member of the IATF objected to the new policy.
