The document, according to information published by DGS on its website, is being prepared based on the existing contingency plan.
The new instrument will be called “National Plan for Preparing and Responding to Disease by a new Coronavirus (COVID-19).
In this sense, the list of specialists who are part of the team created to respond to the outbreak, under the name of “Task Force”, was updated.
The “Task Force” has the mission of “centralizing all epidemiological information and scientific evidence relevant to risk assessment and management in order to issue guidelines and recommendations for its containment, being also responsible for communicating the risk”, reads in the document.
Other specialists may be called upon to collaborate, either individually or as representatives of services or bodies, dependent on the Ministry of Health or other institutions.
In the context of the epidemic caused by the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), originating in the city of Wuhan, province of Hubei, China, which spread to other continents, a ´Task Force ', coordinated by DGS, that promotes the operationalisation and adoption of measures for the prevention and control of infection, provided for in the contingency plan, was activated.
Surely the government should have had a plan in place up to 3 months ago and has been revising it in light of developments globally, in europe and locally. The government should be providing accurate information on what actions and restrictions are being implemented to contain the infection. DGS should be releasing information on how to minimze infection rather than grandly announcing that a task force has been formed.
By Stephen from Other on 17 Mar 2020, 15:38
But Stephen, grandstanding and being seen to make announcements (or being photographed at the opening of an envelope) is the way Portuguese politicians, government bodies and executives operate. Heaven forbid information be disseminated efficiently and with proper care.
By Karl from Other on 17 Mar 2020, 17:02