The Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila has reorganized its COVID-19 Task Force to better prepare the University to respond to the pandemic.
University President Emmanuel Leyco ordered the reconstitution of the PLM COVID-19 Task Force, which will be led by the university’s medical experts and supported by the management to review existing guidelines on the prevention, mitigation, and management of coronavirus cases within the PLM community. The task force will create new policies and update existing campus rules to align with the latest issuances of the Department of Health, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, the World Health Organization, and other relevant regulatory agencies.
Professor Lynnette Cleto, dean of the College of Nursing, has been appointed as chairperson of the PLM COVID-19 Task Force, while Dr. Merry Clamor of the College of Medicine serves as co-chair. Other members of the body are Dr. Angeline Alabastro, dean of the PLM College of Medicine; Dr. Teresita Brion, dean of the School of Public Health; Dr. Maria Ana Mariano, chief of the University Health Services; and Professors Benjamin Tablizo, Jr. and Alvin Neil Javier of the College of Nursing.
To provide support to policymaking, one representative from each of the following PLM offices will sit as members of the Task Force: Office of the Executive Vice President, Office of the Vice President for Administration, Office of the Vice President for Finance and Management, Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, Information and Communications Technology Office, Human Resource Development Office, and the Physical Facilities Management Office. Ms. Purificacion Casono from the Office of the President and Ms. Emily Espero from the Office of the Vice President for Administration will assist as task force secretariats.
The Task Force will review and recommend workplace guidelines for COVID-19 prevention, which will factor in physical distancing measures and proper hygiene practices. A COVID-19 Preparedness Manual will be developed and implemented in the University, alongside health information campaigns to improve public awareness regarding the disease.
The Task Force is also instructed to come up with a system to identify, screen, and manage confirmed, suspected, and probable COVID-19 patients within the PLM community. This will include surveillance, alert, and quarantine protocols, as well as contact tracing and screening procedures.
PLM President Leyco has directed all University units to extend full cooperation to the COVID-19 Task Force and implement the guidelines which have been formed by the panel. A skeleton workforce has been reporting on campus for administrative work, with the campus remaining off limits to students and visitors in line with IATF rules. The University earlier announced that it will fully deliver all classes for the first semester of academic year 2020-2021 through virtual channels.
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