Lapu-Lapu City readies 1,000-bed capacity isolation centers for asymptomatic COVID-19 patients

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu – Isolation centers with a combined capacity of 900 to 1,000 beds are being prepared by the city government of Lapu-Lapu for residents who will test positive but remain asymptomatic of COVID-19 during a rapid mass testing (RMT) scheduled this Monday, May 4, 2020.

Mayor Junard Chan has not revealed yet where these isolation centers are located but said that most of them are in schools. He also said that they are currently negotiating with private establishments to provide isolation rooms.

He said there are eighteen teams that will handle the isolation centers within the city.

The teams will be composed of doctors, nurses, and assisted by government employees and volunteers to cater to the needs of the patients.

Security personnel will also be deployed in the centers to ensure that each facility is contained and none of the medical teams can go in and out of the centers to prevent contamination.

He further said that medical personnel will be provided with basic necessities, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), disinfectants, and wifi connection.

Symptomatic COVID-19 patients are automatically brought to the DOH-designated hospitals, the mayor said.

Lapu-Lapu City is targeting around 12,000 plus residents from different barangays to be tested accounting for ten percent of the total household population in the city.

Once tested positive in the Rapid Mass Testing (RTM), the subject will undergo the second test which is the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test, a more comprehensive test for final confirmation.

Mayor Chan said all those positive during RMT will undergo home quarantine or in a designated quarantine center while waiting for the PCR result.

All those tested positive in PCR will be placed in isolation facilities and they will be closely monitored by City Health officers and emergency responders.

“Libre kini, ug wala moy angay ikabalaka, mohangyo ko sa inyong pagsabot, kung dili kita mag rapid mass testing, magsigi na lang ta’g extend ug walay kahumanan ang atong enhanced community quarantine,” said Chan.

(This is for free and you have nothing to worry about. But I am appealing to you to understand this because if we do not do the Rapid Mass Testing, the ECQ will always extend).

“The extension of our nation’s ECQ is stretching the limits of our budget and we cannot afford to extend our ECQ timetable as our COVID expenses might soon deplete our funds,” said Chan./rcg