Watchers of COVID-19 patients are allowed to stay at the Fuente Osmeña Circle under the monitoring of the Cebu City government. | Photo Courtesy of Cebu City PIO
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City government is urging watchers of patients admitted at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) to go home.
The city’s spokesperson, Rey Gealon, said the city government has agreed with the Cebu Provincial Government to assist the watchers who want to go home or who are already going home after the patient they are watching have been released.
Gealon said that it is not safe for the watchers to simply stay at the Fuente Osmeña Circle while waiting for their family members to be released from VSMMC, especially these past days with the unpredictable weather.
“Dili maayo nga matulog ra sila sa kilid sa dalan, sa sidewalk. Delikado kaayo,” said Gealon.
(It is not good that they are sleeping at the sidewalk. It is dangerous.)
The watchers reported that they have been asked to go home by the city government and buses were commissioned to take them to the North and South Bus Terminals.
Watchers even claimed that they were told that if they won’t go home, they will be arrested. The city government did not comment on these allegations.
The city put up tents and provided food packs for the watchers since last week, but with the one patient-one watcher policy of the VSMMC, may of them are still stuck at the Fuente Osmeña Circle.
Gealon urged the watchers to simply go home so as not to risk their health in the city with no place to stay.
The watchers who wish to go home will only need to surrender their watchers identification cards and the buses will be deployed for them by batch.
Fort the watchers who chose to stay, the city will still take care for them at the Fuente Osmeña Circle. /bmjo
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