The Philippine National Police on Wednesday said it will be up to local governments to guide house-to-house searches of COVID-19 patients to prevent the widespread transmission of the novel coronavirus.

"Hindi po kami ang mangunguna dito. Hindi po kami ang magkukusa, magsasarili na kakatok sa mga bahay. Maghihintay po kami sa guidance at request ng LGU," Joint Task Force COVID Shield head Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said in an interview on ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.

(We won't lead here. We won't take the initiative, go knocking on houses on our own. We will wait for the guidance and request of the LGU.)

"Hindi po namin kabisado kung sino ang mga positive d'yan... Ang dami po naming ibang ginagawa ngayon," he added.

(We don't know who tested positive for the virus. We have so many other tasks.)

Home quarantine of patients is allowed only for those who have mild symptoms, confined to their own room with an attached bathroom, and do not share the house with those vulnerable of infection like the elderly or pregnant women, Eleazar said.

Local officials and health workers will identify patients who need to be transferred to quarantine facilities, and police will just "help and assist", he said.

Watch his full interview here.

• Groups sound alarm on police house-to-house search for COVID-19 patients

TeleRadyo, July 15, 2020