In preparation for the resumption of the face-to-face classes, the city government will vacate and return the schools used as Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facility (TTMF) during the past two years of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Davao City Covid-19 Task Force Spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser in an interview over Davao City Disaster Radio on Wednesday said that only the schools used as TTMF will be vacated to pave way for the school authorities to prepare for the face-to-face classes and the rest of the facilities will remain open.
“As you notice our positivity rate is less than 2 percent. So we have to close TTMFs, especially schools because they have been preparing for the face-to-face classes. Ihatag na gyud nato ug balik sa eskwelahan. Ang pinaka-unang ipang-close nato ang school TTMFs but we will still open some TTMFs (As you notice our positivity rate is less than two percent. So we have to close the TTMFs especially schools because they have been preparing for the face-to-face classes. We will give the facility back to schools. We will first close the schools but we will still open some TTMFs),” she said.
Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the city government has opened TTMFs with a total of 2,674 beds to address the number of Covid-19 patients in 2020 and 2021.
While the TTMFs are reduced, home isolation is advised for those who are symptomatic and have mild cases of Covid-19. This is also allowed under Executive Order 11 Series of 2022 signed by Mayor Inday Sara Duterte on March 7.
For the vaccination activities, Schlosser said that the Vaccination Cluster of the Covid-19 Task Force is already in talks with the Department of Education (DepEd) for schools used as vaccination sites.
Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte has been supportive of the resumption of the face-to-face classes in Davao City. On March 2, 2022, Mayor Sara signed Executive Order 9 series of 2022 “An Order Declaring No Objection to all applications for face-to-face classes in private and public schools from kindergarten to post-graduate studies” after the city was placed under Alert Level 1 status.
The EO cited that the continuous decrease of the number of cases in the city as well as the high vaccination bolsters the reopening of schools for face-to-face classes to ensure continuity of academic instruction.
Mayor Sara emphasized the strict implementation of the Minimum Public Health Standards (MPHS) that must still be observed in schools such as wearing of face masks as well as the guidelines that may be issued by the Department of Education. CIO