Solon bats for quarantine facilities in every region
Published Jun 28, 2020 12:00 am
By Charissa Luci-Atienza
With the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country, Deputy Speaker and Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. has sought the establishment of quarantine facilities in every region in the country.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund "LRay" Villafuerte
(FACEBOOK / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Citing the World Health Organization (WHO), he said the isolation of people who may have been exposed to any serious contagious or infectious disease is considered as the most effective measure to prevent its transmission. He filed House Bill (HB) No. 7005, the proposed “Mandatory Quarantine Facilities Act of 2020, citing the need for an “efficient and effective response system” for emerging and re-emerging infectous diseases, epidemics, and health events. “Since there is constant emergence of various highly contagious and seriously infectious kinds of illnesses, most especially with the recent outbreak of COVID-19, the need for the State to establish quality quarantine facilities in the country cannot be ignored,” Villafuerte in his bill’s explanatory note. He explained that HB 7005 seeks to prioritize the setting up of quality quarantine facilities not only in the densely populated areas, but for every region as well. “These facilities are designed to patients who are suspected to be infected or colonized with epidemiologically important pathogens that can be transmitted early by airborne or droplet transmission or by contact with dry skin or contaminated surfaces,” he said. “The DOH (Department of Health) is also mandated to provide adequate care for suspected patients,” he added. Under the bill, the quarantine facilities shall be fully equipped to include the needs of individuals who are quarantined, including, but not limited to adequate food, clothing, means of communication, and competent medical care. “The quarantine facilities shall be easily accessible to a DOH hospital and shall be strategically located to ensure the safety of the community,” it provides.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund "LRay" Villafuerte(FACEBOOK / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Citing the World Health Organization (WHO), he said the isolation of people who may have been exposed to any serious contagious or infectious disease is considered as the most effective measure to prevent its transmission. He filed House Bill (HB) No. 7005, the proposed “Mandatory Quarantine Facilities Act of 2020, citing the need for an “efficient and effective response system” for emerging and re-emerging infectous diseases, epidemics, and health events. “Since there is constant emergence of various highly contagious and seriously infectious kinds of illnesses, most especially with the recent outbreak of COVID-19, the need for the State to establish quality quarantine facilities in the country cannot be ignored,” Villafuerte in his bill’s explanatory note. He explained that HB 7005 seeks to prioritize the setting up of quality quarantine facilities not only in the densely populated areas, but for every region as well. “These facilities are designed to patients who are suspected to be infected or colonized with epidemiologically important pathogens that can be transmitted early by airborne or droplet transmission or by contact with dry skin or contaminated surfaces,” he said. “The DOH (Department of Health) is also mandated to provide adequate care for suspected patients,” he added. Under the bill, the quarantine facilities shall be fully equipped to include the needs of individuals who are quarantined, including, but not limited to adequate food, clothing, means of communication, and competent medical care. “The quarantine facilities shall be easily accessible to a DOH hospital and shall be strategically located to ensure the safety of the community,” it provides.