Cavite prepares for post-COVID ‘New Normal’ world
TRECE MARTIRES CITY, Cavite May 27 (PIA) — Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla expressed his concerns on how classes could safely resume, how the province’s economy could fully recover and how could the corona virus be eradicated and somehow bring normalcy to the province.
Two measures were seen as immediate solutions to the first two concerns: targeted testing, and investment in a post-Covid world.
The governor emphasized the importance of testing everone but not possible thus, the provincial government focused on targeted testing beginning with the frontliners who were tested this week.
As previously stated, succession for the targeted testing after the frontliners/healthworkers are the police personnel then followed by factory workers, some senior citizens, then public school teachers, and the students that should be tested before the school year starts on August 24, 2020.
Governor Jonvic reported the current testing capacity of the De La Salle Medical Health Sciences Institute (DLSM-HSI) laboratory is about 300 tests a day but with the new laboratory, about 8,000 tests could be accommodated daily by next week.
“This will somehow speed up the completion of the targeted testing in the province, but then again the mass testing is not feasible,” the Gov. said.
Delving on the issue on securing the confidence of the parents for the safety of their children during the resumption of classes, the governor thought of investments to be made to ensure the children’s safety and the continuation of their education.
He saw the need to set up hand washing facilities in every school. The barangay basketball covered courts will be used as alternative remote learning centers due to imminent shortage of classrooms to allow social distancing in school, and investment for free WIFI with estimated cost of Php1B with about 15, 000 computers to be installed in the province.
Also, targeted testing for the teachers and students will not be a onetime activity but should be year round to ensure their continued health and safety and control the possible infection in the school premises.
Likewise, part of the safety protocols would be the provision of mass transportation for the students to minimize the risk of exposure to the corona virus and to any other accidents.
Governor Remulla said, “We will continue to talk to the mayors and congressmen about these concerns. Rest assured, we will continue to look for solutions to these problems.” (Ruel Francisco, PIA-Cavite/with reports from the FB page of Governor Jonvic Remulla)
source https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1042959