LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The provincial government is ready to open available quarantine facilities to meet the requirements of individuals required to undergo the prescribed 14-day quarantine or isolation upon the recommendation of health authorities.
Gov. Melchor D. Diclas said that among the identified quarantine facilities of the province include the provincial government’s training center in Wangal and some facilities within the State-run Benguet State University (BSU) which can be used once there will be a surge in individuals that need to undergo the required quarantine.
He disclosed that from the start, the provincial government had been scouting for areas that could be converted into quarantine facilities as part of the local government’s safety and precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus as cases in the province remain to be minimal but are concentrated in the capital town of La Trinidad.
Based on the latest data obtained from the Cordillera office of the Health Department (DOH-CAR), Benguet has some 9 confirmed COVID cases with four persons recovering while 5 individuals are either confined in health facilities or undergoing home isolation.
Earlier, the national inter-agency task force for the management of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases included Benguet and Baguio City as among the high-risk areas with in the extension of the prevailing enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until May 15, 2020.
In the case of La Trinidad, Mayor Romeo K. Salda claimed the municipal government closely coordinated with the BSU administration for the use of its guest hotel within its coffee production center in Ampasit as the temporary quarantine and isolation area for individuals from the municipality who will be required by health authorities to undergo quarantine or isolation.
Salda stated the institution’s guest house can accommodate 12 individuals at one time who may need to undergo quarantine although the facility has not been fully utilized because of the few COVID cases and their limited contacts who were reported in the municipality since the start of the implementation of the ECQ.
He said that the identified isolation facility will be used once the existing capacity of the Benguet General Hospital (BeGH) and the Cordillera Hospital of the Divine Grace will be used up.
According to him, one of the options of the municipal government once the identified quarantine facility will be filled up is to seek the consent of the provincial government to allow the use of its ready quarantine facilities to accommodate the individuals being required to undergo the prescribed quarantine period since the same are not being fully utilized for its purpose.
Salda explained that the best remedy is for people to continue adhering to the stay-at-home policy during the quarantine period to help prevent the spread of the deadly virus as the cooperation of everyone is needed to effectively and efficiently fight the global pandemic that has significantly derailed the economic gains of most countries.
By HENT
