Norkis Park, Mandaue’s newest isolation facility is now open

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines – The Norkis Park, the newest isolation unit of Mandaue City now has 19 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients admitted to the facility.

The Norkis Park along Plaridel St. in Barangay Subangdaku opened on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. Since then all the city’s COVID-19 patients have been admitted there.

The isolation unit can accommodate 79 COVID-19 patients.

Lawyer Lizer Malate, head of the Mandaue City Emergency Operations Center (EOC), CDN Digital photo | Mary Rose Sagarino

Lawyer Lizer Malate, head of the city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), said the remaining COVID-19 patients in the Mandaue City Isolation Unit (MCIU) located in the Mandaue City Central School will not be moved to the Norkis Park but will just have to wait until they have fully recovered from the infection.

The MCIU has 63 wards, 55 of whom are COVID positive, three first-generation contacts waiting for their swab results, and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs) that are undergoing quarantine.

Malate said once the COVID-19 patients would recover, the city will use some of the classrooms in the MCIU for OFWs or  ROFs who will undergo a 14-day quarantine and those who are waiting for their reswabbing.

“Conjusive man gud ang Central School because ma isolate nato per room ang family o per flight kay kung pareho lang sa cases sa positive nga open lang wa ta kahibaw nga ang uban mapositive niya mag co-mingling na nuon,” said Malate.

There are also 25 patients in the Mandaue City Isolation Center (MCIC) built at the former Cebu North Bus Terminal in Barangay Subangdaku waiting for their swab results. The MCIC served as the city’s expanded swabbing center. /rcg