Cebu City Council wants remaining asymptomatic patients in Luz isolated

At least 63 of the 136 COVID-19 patients in Sitio Zapatera, Barangay Luz have been transferred to the Barrio Luz National High School for quarantine. | Photo courtesy of Councilor David Tumulak

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Council has issued a resolution asking the Cebu City Health Department (CHD) to immediately isolate the more than 30 asymptomatic patients of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) from highly affected Sitio Zapatera.

Councilor Nestor Archival said in the regular session of the council on Wednesday, April 29, 2020, that many residents have complained that positive patients remain in the sitio despite the promise that they will be transferred.

“Ngano naa paman sila dinha?  Delikado kaayo na. (Why are they still there? That is risky),” said Archival.

Cebu City Health Officer Daisy Villa said there is limited space in the Barrio Luz National High School serving as the Barangay Isolation Center (BIC), as it could only accommodate 80 patients.

This limitation caused some of the patients to remain at home quarantine since they are asymptomatic.

“In theory, asymptomatic patients should less likely infect others because they are not coughing or sneezing. If they remain isolated at home in a room, they will not be able to infect anybody,” Villa told the council members.

Still, members of the council found the need to transfer the patients to reduce the risk of spreading the virus more in Sitio Zapatera.

Archival filed a motion urging the immediate transfer of the patients to a quarantine center.

Councilor Eduardo Rama said there may not be any space for the patients anywhere and urged his fellow council members to give the City Health time to find a suitable isolation center.

Archival said that once the isolation center is identified, these asymptomatic patients have to be immediately transferred.

He also questioned why the patients cannot be housed at Block 27 at the North Reclamation Area, but Villa said that only symptomatic patient can stay in the negative-pressure facility.

With this, Archival said the facility at the NRA is not serving its purpose and should be scrutinized. He asked for a breakdown of the P100 million spent on the facility.

The Council has agreed to do so and will be asking Special Assistant to the Mayor, Jose Daluz III, to appear in the next regular session.

Archival said there is a need to scrutinize the quarantine facility and the necessity to spend so much money on it when other buildings could have sufficed. /rcg