DILG, DOH crafting circular on no more home quarantine

September 8, 2020

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Tuesday said they will come up with a joint memorandum circular with the Department of Health (DOH) that there will be no more home quarantine for persons who are asymptomatic and have mild COVID-19 symptoms.

“What we did before is if you have your own room, own CR, and no comorbidities, you are allowed to undergo home quarantine. So what we are going to do is really strictly implement the no home quarantine,” Año  said in a TV interview.

He said the government established COVID hotels where patients can isolate.

“Very important is for them to be removed from their homes, that is for the good, and for the sake of their family members,”  Año said.

Año  said those who have valid reasons to do quarantine at home will be allowed, like elderly who will have a hard time going to isolation facilities.

He said the joint memorandum circular should be first approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force.

“We are eyeing on implementing it within the week but there is nothing to worry because we are very considerate, we just want to lower the number of confirmed and positive cases,” Año said.

“We will be considerate but we really have to enforce strictly the no home quarantine,” he added.

Last week, National Task Force Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said home quarantine as one of the main reasons for the widespread community transmission in Metro Manila as well as in other parts of the country. Ella Dionisio/DMS