Nutrition Cluster Guidelines on LGU Nutrition Actions Relative to COVID-19

- Promote good nutrition by emphasizing the importance of eating a variety of nutritious food consistent with the Ten Kumainments.
- Prioritize cities/municipalities/barangays with high rates of undernutrition. Within these areas: prioritize household with special needs (e.g. infants, children, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, older persons, PWDs, indigenous people and those with debilitating illnesses.
- Promote exclusive breastfeeding only for infants 0-6 months old. Breastmilk substitutes are not allowed and should not be included in the general distribution of food packs.
 a) Advise mothers in at-risk areas with symptoms of fever, cough or difficulty of breathing to seek medical care
  b) Instruct caregivers to seek medical care early if they or their child develops COVID-19 symptoms
  c) Infants of mothers who are too unwell to breastfeed or orphaned infants may require replacement feeding with a nutritionally adequate diet
  d) Recommend caregivers of infants and children with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection to practice measures to prevent transmission
  e) Advise symptomatic breastfeeding mothers to wear a mask when near her infant/child, wash hands regularly, and disinfect contaminated surfaces. For mothers too ill to breastfeed, recommend feeding breastmilk through a clean cup or spoon

- Ensure family food packs contain age- and culturally appropriate, clean and nutritious food items. Food packs should ideally be for a family of five (5) good for three (3) days.
- Provide nutritious and safe foods for complementary feeding of infants 6 months and above, while breastfeeding continues up to two (2) years of age
- Advise households to minimize consumption of processed foods that are high in salt, sugar, fats and low in essential nutrients
- LGU Community Kitchens must be supervised by trained and medically cleared volunteers and must ensure sanitation and social distancing. This is for rationing only to priority households and medical institutions.
- LGUs may consider local pasteurized dairy milk from nearby local dairy cooperatives
- LGUs must ensure availability of mother and baby-friendly safe spaces in setting up tents and quarantine centers
- Through LGU’s health office, conduct an inventory of prepositioned nutrition commodities (e.g. nutrient and micronutrient supplements). Identified cases of malnutrition and children with borderline weight-for-length status should be prioritized to receive nutrition commodities.
- LGUs must promote a) proper personal hygiene, b) overall sanitation, c) safe and proper disposal of solid waste
- LGUs must advise people to ensure adequate sleep (6-8 hours), engage in functional movement at home, and prevent being inactive
- Advise all health and nutrition workers to practice standard hygiene measures and physical distancing when handling clients.
- Provide additional support to frontline health and nutrition program officers, workers and volunteers (e.g. personal protection equipment (PPE), surgical mask, transportation)
- Coordinate with Local Social Welfare and Development Officers to identify and support indigent households who may need financial assistance
- Coordinate and work with Child Development Workers to identify adequate play and early learning activities for children while at home quarantine
- Activate local nutrition clusters, formulate and implement Nutrition in Emergency Response Plan and provide a daily update to the regional Nutrition Cluster using the Nutrition Information Management tools
- Maximize media platforms to share evidence-based information on COVID-19
- Get COVID-19-related updates and information from DOH and WHO websites