Thirty container vans are being converted into isolation units with 120-bed capacity in Navotas City for mild and asymptomatic coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients.
Mayor Toby Tiangco on Tuesday (Aug. 18) said in an interview that they made a request to the national government for the new isolation facility as the local government is not sure if it can continue to use its public schools as isolation facilities. "That will be an additional facility because we are not yet sure about school classes, so we sent a request to the national government," he said in Filipino.
"Even our isolation facilities, with 210-bed capacity, are fully occupied. So we will have 120 additional beds," Tiangco added, referring to the city's isolation facilities at Navotas High School and Navotas Polytechnic College.
Irish Cubillan, head of the city's public information office, said the construction of the new isolation facility is a project of the Department of Public Works and Highways. It is set to be completed by October, she added.
Once done, Cubillan said, the new isolation facility will be operated by the local government.
"Maintenance and utilities, as well as persons to manage the facility, food for patients, etc., will be shouldered by the local government unit," she said.