A guide to everything you need to know about COVID-19

Discovered in 2019, COVID-19 is a new strain of coronavirus which causes respiratory illnesses such as coughs and difficulty breathing. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has classified this virus as a pandemic, and as of writing there are 2,311 confirmed cases in the country alone.

[READ: COVID-19 is now a pandemic. What does this mean?]

Since localized transmissions of COVID-19 have been reported earlier in March, local and international medical experts have been working hard to learn more about this latest strain of the coronavirus and find better ways to detect it.

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covid-19 testing kits approved — **Four new COVID-19 testing kits receive FDA approval**

What is being done about it?

In response to the rising number of confirmed cases, President Rodrigo Duterte has placed the country under an enhanced community quarantine and signed the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, which places the country under a state of national emergency.

Institutions such as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Philippine Sports Commission and local government units have also been enacting precautions such as establishing quarantine facilities and travel restrictions to curb the spread in their respective cities.

**The lowdown on the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act**

**Quezon City releases quarantine measures in light of COVID-19**

**Batanes to adopt a travel restriction policy in response to COVID-19**

**Mayor Vico Sotto’s solution to ensure social distance in Pasig City markets: “mobile palengke”**

bike — **Pasig City provides transportation for frontliners, sets up sanitation tents**

**3 spaces that have been converted into quarantine facilities**

**PICC, World Trade Center to be converted into COVID-19 quarantine facilities**

How to help out

With most businesses at a standstill and various communities affected by the enhanced community quarantine, companies from the private sector have also stepped in to help their employees as well as medical frontliners from all over the country.

pgh philippine general hospital — **SM Group to give P100 million COVID-19 assistance to gov’t hospitals PGH, RITM**

**Ayala group allocates P2.4 billion towards an emergency response package**

**SM and Gokongwei Group offer P100M, waive mall rentals during COVID-19 quarantine**

**MVP Group to help frontliners in fight against coronavirus**

mcdonald's kindness kitchen — **McDonald’s launches “Kindness Kitchen” for frontliners and affected communities**

For people who want to extend a helping hand, there are also organizations that have been putting out calls for donations for frontline workers and underserved communities.

**This website links donors, volunteers to underserved communities in need of help**

**Support frontliners and underserved communities from home through this website**

Organizations to donate to covid-19 — **Here are the organizations you can donate to as we battle the COVID-19 pandemic**

donation drives covid-19 — **Donation drives you can pitch in to help underserved communities right now**

face mask hospital donations — **Face masks needed: call for protective equipment donations from hospitals and organizations**

Respect for the frontliners

On the topic of frontliners, it’s important to show gratitude and respect to the employees working in groceries and drugstores, drivers, delivery drivers and all of the workers making sure that society doesn’t fall to pieces.

**Your perseverance as hope: A thank you to the frontliners in the fight against COVID-19**

**These essential workers are frontliners too deserving of our gratitude**

Taking care of yourself

While it’s important to keep yourself updated on what the government and public sectors are doing to curb COVID-19’s effects, it’s also important to know what steps you can take to keep yourself healthy.

We’ve put together guides that can help you keep your surroundings clean and disinfect the things you use everyday, and resources that can help you keep track of your physical and mental health.

Guides