DepEd postpones Feb activities amid nCoV threat
Credit to Author: Jan Arcilla| Date: Wed, 05 Feb 2020 02:05:24 +0000
THE Department of Education (DepEd) postponed all of its regional and national activities this month as a preventive measure against the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV ARD).
In a memo signed by Education Secretary Leonor Briones, DepEd said that it also “highly discouraged” activities at the division or district level which would involve the gathering of participants from various schools.
Organizers are advised to seek
the recommendation of local health authorities should the activities push throught, it added.
Among activities postponed are the upcoming National School’s Press Conference (NSPC) and National Festival of Talents (NFOT) which will be held in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan and Ilagan Isabela respectively.
The student journalism and talent competitions were originally scheduled on February 17-21.
Also postponed were the National Science and Technology Fair (NSTF) on February 10-14 and the regional athletic meets like Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association, which were supposed to be held in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental.
However, DepEd clarified that the postponement did not cover the Palarong Pambansa 2020 which is set to kick off in Marikina City in May.
DepEd had created a task force to closely coordinate with the Department of Health (DoH) to address challenges in schools after the 2019-nCoV ARD entered the country.
The Philippines has two confirmed cases of the 2019-nCoV, with one, a Chinese, from virus-hit Wuhan, dying from the infection.