14-day quarantine for Naga mothers, infants discharged from hospitals

Mothers and infants of Naga City, Cebu who were recently discharged from hospitals in the cities of Talisay and Cebu will be staying in an isolation center for 14 days. | Photo courtesy of Naga City government

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Mothers and infants of Naga City, Cebu, who were recently discharged from hospitals in the cities of Talisay and Cebu, will be staying in an isolation center for 14 days.

The Naga City government announced on Facebook that they had activated a quarantine center to shelter mothers and infants for 14 days.

“In the absence of positive cases in the city which we fervently pray will be maintained, the City of Naga Ligtas COVID-19 Quarantine Center in South Poblacion will house for the meantime, returning mothers who recently gave birth and patients discharged including their companions from hospitals located in Talisay and Cebu City,” the post stated.

The city government said this was another measure being implemented to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in their city.

“(They) will be looked after by medical personnel under the supervision of the City Health Office,” they added.

Naga City is a second-class city situated approximately 40 kilometers southeast of Cebu City. As of May 22, it remains free from any confirmed COVID-19 cases.

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Cebu province, where Naga City belongs, has recorded a total of 83 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of May 22, but officials have noticed that some of the recently discovered coronavirus patients happened to be pregnant women, mothers who recently gave birth, and newly born infants.

READ MORE: Maternity patients, newborn among new cases in Cebu

Presently, the city government said they had 39 individuals placed under 14-day quarantine in at least three designated facilities.

Aside from mothers who recently gave birth, their babies, and companions during their time in the hospitals, Naga City will also be placing returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and released inmates and those to be committed to Naga City Jail under the same quarantine procedure.

“This is part of the preventive and precautionary measures of the city government against the spread of COVID-19. This is also for the safety and protection of the above-mentioned individuals against the stigma that their circumstances might create in their respective communities,” they added. /dbs