The City government extended assistance to some five thousand thirty-four individuals reportedly afflicted with the dreaded Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the first quarter of this year.
City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) officer-in-charge Liza Bulayongan stated that among the assistance given to the COVID-afflicted individuals were psychological first aid with the assistance of partner offices, such as the City Health Services Office (CHSO) and the Outstanding Women Leaders (OWLs).
Aside from the psychological first aid, she disclosed some of the families of the afflicted individuals were given family food packs and other support services, like financial assistance, for them to cope with the difficult situation.
The CSWDO official claimed that the provision of the needed psychological first aid is being done to ensure that the COVID-afflicted individuals and their families are ready for their temporary separation as the sick will have to be isolated in the existing health facilities in the city for a certain period of time pursuant to established guidelines by the health department and the inter-agency task force for the management of emerging infectious diseases.
Bulayongan claimed that the family food packs have also been given because most of the families are not ready for the implementation of the granular lockdowns in their places aside from the fact that they deserve to be given such assistance having qualified under the existing guidelines of the city government.
According to her, this assistance to COVID-afflicted individuals will continue because there are still COVID-19 cases that are being recorded on a daily basis although the situation is manageable at this time because of the low number of cases that caused the lowering of the city’s alert level.
She reported that social workers are ready for any eventuality in the coming months with the projected surge in cases caused by the presence of certain more transmissible variants of the virus.
Earlier, health authorities warned the people of possible surge in COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks because of the numerous gatherings in various parts of the country due to the ongoing campaign period for the upcoming May 9, 2022 synchronized national and local elections and the seemingly complacency of the public in adhering to the minimum public health standards such as the wearing of face masks, observance of physical distancing and the practice of personal hygiene and disinfection both in the homes and workplaces.
