MANILA — The Department of Health on Friday said the government will likely release a fleshed-out home quarantine policy by next week.
This developed as national officials said home quarantine has contributed to the spread of COVID-19 in communities.
“Maybe next week magkakaroon ng resolve ito para mas accurate at mas kumpleto na ang desisyon kasama ang policy dito,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during a virtual briefing.
(Maybe next week we’ll have a more accurate and more complete decision including the policy on home quarantine.)
Vergeire said the country already has existing protocols but these are being reviewed, adding that the observations of national officials about the failure of home quarantine in certain cases are valid.
“It’s (the situation is) very dynamic, it’s evolving every day. Maaari naman yan na nababago (that can change) based on evidences we have everyday,” she said.
“Nung nag-ikot ang National Task Force at DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) nakita naman talaga hindi appropriate yung pag-home quarantine ng marami sa ating kababayan. That’s why the recommendation (to ban home quarantine) was put forth,” Vergeire said.
(When the National Task Force and the DILG went around, they saw how home quarantine was not appropriate for many Filipinos. That’s why the recommendation was put forth.)
While the DOH has already issued guidelines on when home quarantine will be allowed, the health official acknowledged that there should be a policy in place that sets specific details.
“Thursday it was discussed in the IATF, but the resolution was pag-aralang mabuti (to study it carefully). Although there were recommendations already, may mga specifics na sino pwedeng mag-home quarantine at sino sa temporary treatment and monitoring facilities, which is actually existing naman sa ngayon (there are specifics on who should be allowed to be home-quarantined and who should go to temporary treatment and monitoring facilities, which is actually existing already),” Vergeire added.
COVID-19 in the Philippines, home quarantine, home quarantine for COVID-19, Department of Health, National Task Force