Palace eyes mass testing for COVID-19

Malacañang assured yesterday that President Duterte will support the conduct of mass testing on the public for the coronavirus disease (COVID19) once the Philippines becomes fully equipped for it.

- ARGYLL CYRUS B. GEDUCOS, GENALYN D. KABILING, ANALOU DE VERA, JOSEPH JUBELAG, ROY C. MABASA, HANNAH L. TORREGOZA, BETHEENA KAE UNITE, CHARISSA M. LUCI-ATIENZA, and RAYMUND ANTONIO

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo gave the assurance as the public continues to clamor for the conduct of nationwide mass testing to allow the government to undertake proper steps to combat the deadly disease.

Ang lahat ng iyan ay susuportahan ni Presidente kung nandiyan na iyong lahat ng kasangkapan. Kasi kung wala naman eh papaano natin maipapatupad iyon (The President will support all of that once we have all the necessary equipment. Because if we don't have them, how can we implement such measure)? he told DZRH.

The Department of Health (DOH) has rejected the proposal to conduct mass testing because of the country's limited resources.

While we already have 100,000 testing kits, and we expect more to arrive, these are not enough to conduct mass testing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

On Sunday, the number of COVID19 positive cases in the Philippines breached the 1,000-mark, bringing the total to 1,418.

A total of 2,686 tests for COVID-19 were conducted in the country as of Saturday afternoon based on DOH's tracker.

The death toll among COVID-19 patients rose to 71. The new deaths were all elderly people aged between 60 to 86 years old. All of them were Filipino nationals.

Four more patients have recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries to 42.

Rapid pass

Workers in the food industry must be allowed passage to their workplace-based on a new order by a government task force amid the coronavirus emergency.