Interior Secretary Eduardo Año clarified Wednesday health officials, not the Philippine National Police (PNP), would be leading the Oplan Kalinga or the house to house search for COVID-19 patients not qualified for home quarantine.
Año in an interview on Unang Hirit said that PNP would only assist local government officials and health personnel in search and house to house visitation.
“Ang mangunguna dito ‘yung ating LGU at ang public health authority, pangungunahan ito ng city or local epidemiological surveillance unit kasi sila talaga ang mga expert dito. Pati ‘yung resulta ng contact tracing, pati kung sino ‘yung tetesting, ililipat o ire-refer sa ospital,” Año said.
(Our LGUs and public health authority will lead this. The city of local epidemiological surveillance unit would lead since this their expertise. They would take charge even in the contact tracing and identifying those who need to be tested, referred or transferred to a hospital.)
“Ang ating kapulisan naman ay maga-assist lang sa kanila para sigurado na ma-implement ang lockdown at sigurado din na maayos naman ‘yung paglilipat ng ating mga positive patients,” he added.
(Our police force would assist them in ensuring lockdown would be implemented and our positive patients would be transferred correctly.)
Also read: Police house-to-house visit in search of patients prone to abuse – NUPL
Año added the house to house visitation are only for areas where there is a surge or outbreak of COVID-19 and are under zoned lockdowns.
The DILG chief local health officials already have the necessary list of individuals who need to be transferred to quarantine facilities before the visitation.
“Bago pa pumunta sa lugar ay kumpleto na sila ng listahan at ng pangalan. Ito naman ay mga naka-PPEs (personal protective equipment) ‘yung ating health officials and health workers dito… tine-train naman ‘yung pulis para pumasok,” he said.
(They already have a complete list and names before they would go to the area. Our health officials and health workers would wear PPEs. We are training the police before they could enter a house.)
The Oplan Kalinga program drew flak from some groups, even comparing to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs project Oplan Tokhang.
Chief testing czar in the fight against COVID-19 Vince Dizon listed the three requirements for a COVID-19 patient to qualify for home quarantine: own room, own bathroom, and must not be living with an elderly, pregnant, or person with a pre-existing medical condition to qualify for home quarantine.