Taytay orders barangays to set up, manage isolation facilities
By Nel Andrade
TAYTAY, Rizal- Come September, each barangay (village) in Taytay should have their own isolation facility to house the immediate family members of confirmed COVID-19 patients.
In a meeting with the town’s five barangay chairpersons, Mayor George Ricardo Gacula II instructed them to establish an isolation facility in their respective villages and have them operational by next month, in anticipation of the continuing surge of COVID-19 cases in the town.
Mayor Gacula told Manila Bulletin that the barangay isolation facility may be a public school classroom located in the village that may be made to fit the requirements and standards of the Department of Health.
Gacula's directive to the town’s village heads came after Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi -- the designated National Task Force official in charge for Rizal Province -- Rizal Governor Rebecca Ynares, and the town mayors recently held an online meeting to discuss the local governments' approaches to the fight against the spread of the coronavirus.
Gacula said the Barangay Isolation Unit Facilities are intended for village residents who have mild symptoms. The Barangay Health Emergency Response Team personnel, who are guided by the Municipal Health Office, will monitor the patients in the village facilities.
“The entire 10-day isolation of the patients will be shouldered by the barangay, including their daily food provisions, to ensure that they will not be going anywhere, thus minimizing the threat of spreading the virus to others,” Gacula said.
At present, COVID-positive patients showing severe symptoms are isolated in the town’s medical facility while non-severe and asymptomatic patients are in their respective homes while on quarantine.
Gacula said while the barangays are getting their respective facilities ready for the COVID patients and their relatives, the residents are urged to strictly follow the existing health protocols and local government-mandated measures such as the wearing of face mask and face shield and maintaining physical distancing, among others, as a means of preventing the virus from infecting them.
As of Aug. 17, the town has recorded 175 active cases with 147 under strict quarantine and 28 admitted to the quarantine and medical facilities manned by the local government. There have been 531 confirmed cases in the town with 326 recoveries.