City officials urge all the one hundred twenty-eight barangays to immediately identify and furbish their respective special care facilities and isolation units amidst the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to ensure the availability of sufficient centers that could accommodate suspected and probable cases once there will be future surges.
Under Resolution No. 292, series of 2021 signed by Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong, local legislators stated that in putting up such facilities, local government units may utilize their appropriate funds, including the 20 percent development fund of the barangays, pursuant to Department of the Interior and Local Government – Department of Budget and Management (DILG-DBM) Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1, series of 2020 dated March 27, 2020 and their respective quick response fund of the local disaster risk reduction and management fund.
Earlier, the City Health Services offices (CHSO) provided an assessment tool for barangay isolation units to be established and observed by the barangays indicating the regulated location, physical plans, personnel, patient management, inspection prevention and control, transport, and medicines and supplies.
The council claimed that it has been observed that majority of the city’s 128 barangays have not yet identified and furbished their respective special care facilities and isolation units amidst the ongoing pandemic that will supposedly help in providing adequate treatment facilities for suspected and probable COVID patients that are required to go on quarantine or isolation by the health authorizes.
According to the aforesaid resolution, barangays have been encouraged to set up their own COVID-19 isolation centers which will be used to house patients with mild symptoms or those that are asymptomatic.
The council asserted that the mobilization of barangays to aid the local government in providing quarantine and isolation areas for COVID-19 patients in their respective barangays is part of the efforts of concerned government agencies in the city to unload hospitals and other isolation units that are now overwhelmed with cases of the deadly virus.
Moreover, the council emphasized that pursuant to DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2020-063, the city’s barangays are enjoined to immediately identify, designate and establish their respective COVID-19 special care facilities with various requirements such as the facilities must be enclosed but well ventilated structures, with walls, windows and doors, negative pressure is not necessary; empty houses or buildings, equipped with appropriate furniture’s and beds, with sufficient provisions for electricity and running water, kitchen, toilets and baths; accommodate as many individuals as possible, without crowding; every person must be kept isolated from the others within the building and may be approached only by health care workers donning the required personal protective equipment, thus, it is necessary to have one person per bedroom, otherwise, each bed must be 2 meters or more away and separated by vinyl curtains that should be decontaminated with the 0.1 percent sodium hypochlorite solution or 62.71 percent ethanol at least once a day and air dry; every person should be provided with their own bed, pillow and blanket and the special care facility and isolation unit should, as much as possible, be situated some distance away from the populated areas, but easily accessible to health care workers and other health authorities who shall monitor the status of those who will be placed in it. by Dexter A. See