Malacañang on Sunday said classes in the country would continue amid the threat from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In a radio interview, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo was asked if the government would follow the pronouncement of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on emergency closure of all elementary, junior high and senior high schools in Japan to prevent further spread of COVID-19.

“It all depends. If the President sees there is a threat and there’s a recommendation from the Inter-agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID), then we will do that. For now, there’s no order yet,” Panelo said.

He said the IATF-EID regularly meets and makes recommendations depending on what the World Health Organization (WHO) would say.

“Whatever their (WHO) findings are, (IATF-EID) just moves depending on what is needed and we are ready with that because the protocols are well-placed,” he added.

But last February 13, the Department of Education already released a memorandum authorizing school heads and local education officials to suspend classes if a COVID-19 case is confirmed within their respective areas.

“If there is community level transmission in a city or municipality or several cities or municipalities, the school division superintendents can declare the suspension of classes in the affected cities/municipalities or, depending on the local situation, in the entire province,” according to the memorandum.

Last Tuesday, a total of 445 Filipinos, including 440 crew members and five passengers from the M/V Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama, Japan, arrived in the country and have been placed under quarantine.

Add to those undergoing the 14-day quarantine period are the 13 repatriation team members from DOH (9) and Department of Foreign Affairs (4), thereby bringing the total number of those temporarily staying at the New Clark City in Tarlac to 458. Ella Dionisio/DMS