(Eagle News) — There should be no playgrounds or buffets in schools to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Secretary Carlito Galvez, chief implementer of the national action plan against COVID-19, made the suggestion on Wednesday night, during President Rodrigo Duterte’s meeting with members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and other resource persons to discuss the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the new normal.
The Palace has said there would be no face-to-face classes when school resumes on Aug. 24.
According to Galvez, with playgrounds, “magkakaroon po ng tinatawag na close contact at tsaka meron po tayong tinatawag na possibility na magkaroon ng transmission because mava-violate po ‘yung social distancing.”
In proposing the removal of buffets, Galvez noted that people were “most vulnerable” while eating because they had no mask on.
“And normally napansin po namin. sa aming contact tracing, yung mga ospital nagkakaroon po sila ng transmission kapag nag-dine in po sila, nag hahahalo-halo sila ng pagkain,” he said.
He said authorities could create a “model school” that would have the necessary configuration to protect students and teachers against COVID-19.
So far though, he said “sa MGCQ gawin po muna natin siguro inspekin natin eskwelahan, ano configuration, ano pwede gawin at ano di pwede gawin.”
“So yun po ang nakita po namin na dapat bago tayo magbukas ng tinatawag na school, kailangan makita po natin yung re-engineering, kailangan makita po natin yung protections. Thirdly, kailangan po ‘yung ibang mga dapat hindi gawin at tsaka dapat gawin, at saka yung configurations na one-way in and one-way out na di sila magkakasalubong na parang ginagawa natin sa mall,” he said.