The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, approved on first reading a proposed ordinance mandating the use of digital contact tracing and health condition reporting system of Stay Safe.ph in the city.
Local legislators stated that it will be a policy of the city to require all persons who live or sojourn in the city to register and use the digital contact tracing and health condition reporting system of Stay Safe.ph which can be downloaded in the available platforms.
Under the proposed ordinance, any person who fails to register and use the digital contact tracing and health condition reporting system of Stay Safe.ph may be denied of any services by any entity operating in the city.
The council stipulated that it is a general policy of the State to protect and promote the right to health of the Filipino people and to instill health consciousness among them.
Presidential Proclamation No. 922, series of 2020 declared a state of public health emergency throughout the country while Proclamation No. 929 declared a state of calamity in the country due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) that laid down broad strategies and guidelines governing the imposition of the enhanced community quarantine over the entire Luzon and implementation of stringent physical distancing measures nationwide.
Republic Act (RA) 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act of 2020 was enacted placing the country in a state of national emergency due to the threat of COVID and under such act, local government units were mandated to act within the letter and spirit of all rules, regulations and directives issued by the national government and for them to fully cooperate in implementing policies to address the prevalence of the deadly virus.
The council pointed out that StaySafe.ph is the government’s official digital contact tracing application system and was officially received by National Task Force (NTF) on COVID-19 last April 2020 at Camp Aguinaldo via a memorandum of agreement signed by Presidential Adviser on Peace process Adviser Carlito Galvez, Jr. and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.
Further, StaySafe.ph is a project of the inter-agency task force on emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and the NTF that monitors the peoples health status and quickly identifies persons who may have symptoms of the virus; contacted by those listed under the suspect, probable and confirmed cases; or have been tested by local health care facilities.
According to the council, the same aids the government in making much needed, timely and informed decisions to protect everyone in the city.
The council added that StaySafe.ph is an online bayanihan community collaboration, a nod to the Filipino bayanihan spirit when neighbors come together to help anyone needing support aside from intending to mitigate risk, especially In vulnerable areas, as authorized will have real-time alerts and easy monitoring of critical situations in their respective communities.
StaySafe.ph features an easy-to-us health reporting system that users can utilize to determine if they are in good condition or fall under mild or severe cases apart from safety tips and reminders from medical experts will be automatically provided to those who have reported mild symptoms or severe conditions. By Dexter A. See