The Regional Task Force for COVID-19 has tapped the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and with the Philippine National Police to amplify contact tracing.
“These (agencies) have a vast network of intel people because that is really their job. Not only in times of emergency, but this is really their line of work – finding people and information. And this is a really big network,” Mayor Sara Duterte said.
Under the present setup, the contact tracing falls under the purview of the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit and the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit.
“Right now, they are already being assisted by our police (forces) and NICA, so there is a bit of an expansion of their network in terms of contact tracing,” Duterte said.
The city mayor also noted that these agencies are preparing for the possible opening of the borders in the city.
“The DOH, Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), PNP, and NICA, these are the offices which are currently preparing for the possible arrival of people in the region. Because if we can contain the spread of the infection here in Davao City, in the region, there are chances that people entering the region and the city are also possible carriers of the virus,” Duterte said.
Duterte stressed the need to track down the people who might be carriers of the virus so that they could be isolated before they spread the infection some more.
