By REYNALDO E. ANDRES

MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis on Tuesday (March 10) suspended the conduct of big gatherings, such as seminars and conventions, inside the university campus amid the reported increasing number of corona virus (COVID-19) cases in the country.

Dr. Agrupis and the members of the Administrative Council (AdCo) made this collegial stand during the council’s meeting held at the FEM Hall conference room on Tuesday. This is in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s Proclamation No. 922, which he signed last March 8 declaring a state of public health emergency throughout the country amid the worsening COVID-19 scare. 

That same day, the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed nine more patients carrying the pathogen, bringing the national total to 33 confirmed patients.

 
MMSU College of Medicine Dean Dr. Ricardo Guanzon also confirmed during the AdCo meeting the local transmission of COVID-19 in the wake of the string of new cases. 

He urged the academic community to stay vigilant and practice proper hygiene to defeat the virus.

“With the issuance of Proclamation 922, I strongly oppose the conduct of big gatherings inside the MMSU campus to safeguard the students and the faculty against the threat of this deadly disease,” Dr. Agrupis said, stressing that university employees must also avoid unimportant travels to Manila and other countries as precautionary measures to address the COVID-19 scare.

In line with her verbal directive, the university president has ordered Dr. Leonisa Silvestre, director of MMSU’s Health and Wellness Services to immediately purchase thermal scanners to detect and analyze skin surface temperature patterns (body heat) as a reflection of normal or abnormal human physiology for visitors coming in the university. 

“We must enforce this stand in addressing the threat of the virus,” Dr. Agrupis said.

Meanwhile, President Duterte’s declaration enjoins all government agencies and local government units to render all assistance needed while citizens and tourists are urged to "act within the bounds of law and comply with lawful directives." 

The declaration facilitates the mobilization of resources, the intensifying of quarantine measures and ease of processes, while a "code red" alert means that all hospital personnel are required to report for duty in their respective facilities to provide medical services. (StratCom)