While the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) is out finalizing the updated guidelines for interzonal travel—following a week of changing guidelines regarding the RT-PCR swab test requirements—the Philippine National Police (PNP) yesterday directed units all over the country to help assist local government units in enforcing their respective protocols.
The government’s news wire reported on the directive, which it says came from PNP statement. “Kasabay nito ay direktiba din sa ating mga unit commanders na makipag-ugnayan sa ating LGUs para malinaw ang kanilang gagampanan sa pagpapatupad ng mga protocol laban sa Covid-19,” PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar was quoted as saying. (“This comes the directive for our unit commanders to coordinate with our LGUs so that they may be clear in their duties to uphold anti-Covid-19 protocols.”)
Last week, the IATF-EID announced that vaccination cards could be used in place of RT-PCR test requirements, releasing IATF Resolution No. 124-B as an update to prior guidelines.
However, some LGUs expressed concern about this decision, and on Wednesday the Department of Health released a statement to uphold the LGUs’ guidelines while the IATF irons out the implementation of Resolution 124-B.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque also said in a briefing yesterday that the IATF rule is binding on all, “unless you declare yourself to be an independent republic”, but admitted that the task force had a meeting scheduled for yesterday afternoon to finalize the details.
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