President Rodrigo Duterte has declared a nationwide state of public health emergency amid the increasing number of COVID-19 cases.The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country has risen to six, two of whom have been classified as local transmission.
Under a state of public health emergency:
— President Duterte is empowered to mobilize both the public and private sectors to respond to the COVID-19 issue.
— The Department of Health (DOH) can order the mandatory reporting of “emerging infectious diseases” as well as perform quarantine and isolation under Republic Act 11332, or the “Law on Reporting of Communicable Diseases” signed into law in April 2019. This will centralize the processing of reported cases of COVID-19 in the country.
— The DOH is empowered to order the quarantine and isolation of individuals when the need arises.
— Republic Act 11332 prohibits (1) the unauthorized disclosure of private and confidential information pertaining to a patient’s medical condition or treatment; (2) tampering of records or intentionally providing misinformation; (3) non-operation of the disease surveillance and response systems; (4) non-cooperation of persons and entities that should report and/or respond to notifiable diseases or health events of public concern; and (5) non-cooperation of the person or entities identified as having the notifiable disease, or affected by the health event of public concern.
