A view inside the first Bayanihan Cebu Field Center in Cebu that will begin operation on April 22. (Photo from OPAV)
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Until the quarantine facilities in Cebu City will start accepting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, infected residents in Sitio Zapatera in Barangay Luz, Cebu City will have to remain in home isolation.
The Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH – 7) on Monday, April 20, 2020, said quarantine centers would be needed to facilitate the transfer of COVID-19 patients from the sub-village.
The DOH – 7 said as of Monday, they were awaiting the official feedback from the Cebu City government as to when they could start pulling out over 130 residents there, who tested positive of COVID-19.
“We want to make sure there’s a proper quarantine facility ready for them. And we won’t transfer them just to any quarantine facility,” the agency said.
There are 136 individuals in Sitio Zapatera, an urban poor community in uptown Cebu City, who tested positive of COVID-19. The DOH-7 earlier confirmed of community transmission in the area.
Most of them are asymptomatic however, they have not been transferred yet to a designated isolation area due to lack of proper facilities or quarantine centers.
The DOH – 7 earlier recommended city officials to isolate those who have been infected with coronavirus from the rest of the sitio’s 9,000 residents.
Quarantine Facilities
Cebu City is now rushing to complete at least three quarantine sites that have a combined bed capacity up to 450.
In a separate press conference, Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said the COVID-19 Bayanihan Cebu Field Center along General Maxilom Avenue is expected to start accepting referrals on Tuesday, April 21, 2020.
The 50-bed facility, where asymptomatic patients and those with mild symptoms will be housed, is scheduled to be operational on Wednesday, April 22, 2020.
Labella said they are also expecting the quarantine facility in Block 27 in North Reclamation Area (NRA) to open this week. It can accommodate up to 200 patients.
“Work is also being done at the IEC (International Eucharistic Congress) which the Archdiocese of Cebu has converted to an isolation center with 200 beds. It will open within two weeks,” he added.
As of Monday, Cebu City has a total of 166 confirmed COVID-19 cases, most of which are from Sitio Zapatera in Barangay Luz. /###