This policy brief outlines some policy considerations for local government units (LGU), specifically provinces, cities, and municipalities, currently drafting or revisiting their Covid-19 Community Response Strategy and the accompanying local measures. It integrates some of the lessons from innovative practices, observations, and inputs from our volunteer group of professionals in order to aid LGU officials currently planning, drafting and updating their Covid-19 strategy. This brief recommends that all LGU Covid-19 Community Response Strategies must have provisions that deal with immediate, transitory, and medium-term anticipated needs and challenges at the minimum. Moreover, all local strategies must support and complement the DOH’s National Strategy for Covid-19 which include enhanced community quarantine, physical distancing, contact tracing and surveillance, triage system, increased testing, and case management. At the local level, LGUS must ensure that the needs of frontline health workers and highly vulnerable groups such as the elderly, persons with disabilities, and co-morbidities are being provided and their welfare are prioritized and adequately supported. The systems they put up should also not hinder or delay the movement of essential personnel, goods, and services. Lastly, LGUs should actively partner with civil society groups and the private sector, whenever possible, in mobilizing all available local resources, networks, and expertise in addressing the challenges and impacts of COVID-19.
