THE DETECTION of the country’s first two cases of the Omicron variant of Covid19 prompted the Department of Health to meet with officials of the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to discuss how to safely conduct face-to-face classes.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the department sees no need to close down schools or raise the alert level.

“We are now coordinating with the Department of Education and CHED kung ano ang dapat na hakbang para mas makaiwas tayo na magkahawa-hawa ang ating mga estudyante,” Vergeire said in a media briefing.

So far, 272 public schools and 18 private schools have started conducting face-to-face classes.

Vergeire said the DOH intensified its efforts for active case finding and monitoring of clustering.

“Pero sa ngayon, wala pa ho tayong cause to be alarmed. Kailangan lang handa tayo. We need to prepare,” she said.

“So kailangan lang ang surveillance system ng ating bansa, very active po ‘yan, very robust, para isang detection at makita natin meron palang pataas na mga kaso. We can already do some measures para ma-prevent na po ang patuloy na pagtaas ng mga kaso,” she added.