Mayor REX Gatchalian calls for another NCOV coordination meeting, this time with the officers and representatives of Valenzuela Association of Private School Administrators (VALAPSA), Medical Directors and reps from all the private hospitals in Valenzuela City, February 05, 2020.

The meeting discussed important matters on referral systems specifically on the flow of reporting possible nCoV cases, with Mayor REX emphasizing to always put general welfare on top of the situation and to call the ALERT Hotline (8352-5000) for cases meeting the criteria of the nCoV assessment tool.

“The fastest [is to] call the Rescue [ALERT] Hotline (8352-5000) then we will take it from there. What we have agreed on is that we will centralize the handling of it. Everything goes with the City with its own team that is equipped and re-trained... They will do the coordinating to the national which is the DOH [Department of Health],” Mayor REX reiterated.

The criteria of the decision tool were released by DOH last January 30, 2020 which includes assessment of the four (4) indicators of the disease -- 1) fever of more than 38 degrees Celsius, 2) respiratory infection, 3) travel history in China, Hong Kong and Macau for the past 14 days, and 4) history of exposure. The Decision Tool for Novel Coronavirus Assessment for Bureau of Quarantine and Hospitals can be downloaded at DOH website along with its latest advisory on nCoV assessment. Private schools and colleges were also instructed to do their own “self-tracking” of students and employees following the criteria of the decision tool, while private hospitals are required to have a standard DOH holding area in their facility.

Along with this, Dr. Meliton Zurbano of the Department of Education (DepEd) Valenzuela has announced that DepEd will be postponing off-campus activities and events in schools due to the threat nCoV.

Also raised were private schools’ preventive measures on students and employees who have a travel history for the past fourteen (14) days, reassuring that steps and protocols have been implemented in the height of the nCoV threat. Foreign students are being well-monitored and are undergoing self-quarantine and proper sanitation and cleanliness of facilities are also scheduled on a mandatory basis.

Other precautionary steps undertaken by Valenzuela City is massive information campaign aligned with the Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) plan of the City Health Office (CHO) where private schools and universities are also set to receive information and campaign materials about the 2019-nCoV ARD, educating the public of the City’s nCoV hotline and how to maintain proper hygiene/etiquette.

On top of this, the City Government of Valenzuela, its offices, all local hospitals and health stations as well as private schools, private hospitals and universities, are all leveling up the City’s entire task force to “reinforce prevention” – cascading the right information about the disease while all in cooperation to prevent the spread of nCoV.

For suspected cases of nCoV, please call the Valenzuela City nCoV Hotline at 8352-5000.