Gatchalian cautions schools to observe precautionary measures amidst coronavirus scare

Senator Win Gatchalian is urging the Department of Education (DepEd) to put schools on alert and ensure that preventive measures are in place to protect students from a new coronavirus strain that has already struck 222 individuals across neighboring China, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand.

The lawmaker underscored the need for safety measures following an announcement by the Department of Health (DOH), which revealed a suspected case of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in a five-year old boy who flew in from Wuhan, China to Cebu City. The child is currently stable but has shown flu-like symptoms such as cough, throat irritation, and fever. The 2019-nCoV was first detected in Wuhan City on December 31, 2019 and it spreads from humans to humans.

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that result in a range of illnesses from the common cold to more severe diseases, including the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-related Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related Coronavirus (SARS-CoV).

The 5-year old boy, at first, tested negative for MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine. However, he tested positive for an unidentified coronavirus. A specimen from the child is sent to Australia to identify the coronavirus strain.

While there are no confirmed cases of the 2019-nCoV in the Philippines to date, Gatchalian said schools should exhaust all measures from information dissemination to intensified sanitary measures to keep students safe, as well as school employees and workers.

"Sa ating pangambang makapasok itong bagong coronavirus sa ating bansa, mabuti nang maging sigurado tayo dahil ang isang kumpirmadong kaso ay maaaring maikalat sa iba," said Gatchalian, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture.

Gatchalian added that schools should have protocols in place if they identify students displaying flu-like symptoms. He also said schools should emphasize preventive measures and practice good hygiene such as frequent handwashing, observance of cough etiquette, distancing one's self from people with respiratory problems, and proper cooking of food, to name a few.

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Gatchalian, pinag-iingat ang mga paaralan sa banta ng coronavirus

Nanawagan si Senador Win Gatchalian sa Department of Education o DepEd na siguruhin ang kaligtasan ng mga paaralan mula sa banta ng bagong coronavirus na tumama na sa mahigit dalawang daang (222) katao sa apat na kapitbahay nating bansa sa Asya, kabilang ang China, Japan, South Korea, at Thailand.

Ayon kay Gatchalian, mahalagang maging handa ang mga paaralan upang maprotektahan ang kalusugan at kaligtasan ng mga mag-aaral. Ayon sa Department of Health o DOH, isang pinaghihinalaang kaso ng novel coronavirus o 2019-nCoV ang inoobserbahan sa isang limang-taong gulang na batang lalaking lumipad mula sa Wuhan, China patungong Cebu City.

Nakita sa bata ang ilang sintomas ng trangkaso na nauugnay sa 2019-nCoV, kabilang ang lagnat at ubo. Maaari namang maipasa sa pamamagitan ng person-to-person contact ang 2019-nCoV na unang naitala sa Wuhan City noong Disyembre 31, 2019.

ang Coronaviruses (CoV) sa isang malawak na pamilya ng mga virus na nagdudulot ng iba't ibang sakit tulad ng sipon. Maaari rin itong magdulot ng mga mas malalang sakit tulad ng Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-related Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) at Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related Coronavirus (SARS-CoV).

Ayon sa Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, negatibo sa MERS-CoV at SARS-CoV ang batang pasyente ngunit nag-positibo ito sa isang uri ng coronavirus na hindi pa matukoy sa ngayon. Bagama't humupa na ang lagnat ng pasyente, kinunan ang bata ng specimen sample na ipinadala sa Australia upang matukoy kung anong uri ng coronavirus ang tumama rito.

Para kay Gatchalian, mainam nang gawin ng DepEd ang lahat ng hakbang tulad ng pagpapalaganap ng impormasyon at maigting na pagturo ng kalinisan sa mga mag-aaral.

"Sa ating pangambang makapasok itong bagong coronavirus sa ating bansa, mabuti nang maging sigurado tayo dahil ang isang kumpirmadong kaso ng coronavirus na ito ay pwedeng maikalat sa iba pa," ayon kay Gatchalian na Chairman ng Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture.

Dagdag ng Senador, kailangang may hakbang na ang mga paaralan kung sakaling makitaan nila ang mga mag-aaral ng sintomas ng trangkaso. Aniya, dapat bigyang-diin ang mga hakbang tulad ng madalas na pag-hugas ng kamay, pag-iwas sa mga taong may problema sa paghinga, at tamang pagluto ng pagkain, mga bagay na ipinayo ng DOH.