IATF, DOH to Discuss ‘Decoupling’ of COVID-19 Restrictions on Feb. 1

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and Department of Health (DOH) are set to discuss the “decoupling” or separation of COVID-19 restrictions from the existing alert level system on Wednesday, Feb. 1.

Instead of relying heavily on the advice of the IATF, the “decoupling” of restrictions will give local government officials the liberty to carry out their own safety measures in their respective municipalities.

Health department officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire hopes that the local government would have the “same level of understanding” as the DOH when it comes to the untying of restrictions from the IATF’s current system.

She also said that the Office of the President has yet to give a concrete answer to the health department’s request to extend the state of calamity status of the Philippines after it expired last December.

“No official response [regarding] the extension. But indirectly, the President already [expressed] in one of his [interviews] that he is very hesitant to extend the state of calamity,” Vergeire was quoted as saying at a media forum as reported by GMA News on Jan. 25.