News Roundup 14 April 2020
Apr 14, 2020 • 2 min Read
LOOK: Robredo visits OVP partners on culmination of free shuttle service | INQUIRER.NET –Vice President Leni Robredo on Tuesday made a surprise visit to private partners of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in its free shuttle service project for COVID-19 frontliners. OVP launched on March 28 its free shuttle service to health workers, who had a hard time reporting to work in hospital since the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine imposed by the government effectively suspended all mass transportation in Metro Manila. The OVP free shuttle service for frontliners ended April 14.
COVID-19 to plunge global economy to ‘worst’ post-war recession —IMF | PHILSTAR.COM – The coronavirus pandemic will pull down the global economy to its worst post-war recession, bringing with it economies like the Philippines which is poised to notch its weakest growth in more than two decades. In its latest World Economic Outlook released Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected the global economy is seen to contract 3% this year, which if realized, would beat the 1.7% drop in gross domestic product (GDP) recorded a year after the 2008 global financial crisis.
DOH assures public: COVID-19 patients’ personal data will only be used for contact tracing | Manila Bulletin – The personal information of COVID-19 patients will not be made public and will only be disclosed to concerned government agencies conducting contact tracing, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday. Only the DOH, local government officials, and the Philippine National Police will have access to the personal information provided by the patient, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.
Mass testing starts | The Manila Times – The government starts the mass testing for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) on Tuesday, April 14 with an initial target of 3,000 tests a day. First in line will be the elderly, pregnant, people with “comorbidities” or illnesses that are susceptible to Covid-19, and health workers with Covid symptoms, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing on Monday.
