Amid the surge in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, the Philippine Red Cross and the Metro Manila mayors vowed to jointly set up isolation centers in public and private schools in the metropolis.
The decision was arrived at on Friday, April 2, during PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Senator Richard J. Gordon’s virtual meeting with Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr. and Metro Manila mayors.
Abalos and the mayors in the National Capital Region (NCR) "committed their cooperation" with the PRC to create isolation centers to address the current situation of the country's healthcare system.
"As part of PRC’s humanitarian efforts, Gordon proposed to partner with the Metro Manila Council in setting up isolation facilities in public and private schools under the jurisdiction of the different LGUs,” the PRC said in a statement.
"The PRC proposes to do the following: provide ambulances to transport patients to these facilities; set-up isolation beds; provide supplementary hot meals; set up shower rooms for their daily hygiene needs; ensure daily monitoring of their condition; and provide ambulance to transport to hospitals patients who, while in isolation, develop moderate to severe symptoms,” it added.
Gordon said the initiative seeks to lessen the increasing cases of COVID-19.
“We can be more effective if we can work together for the same purpose,” he said.
Under the project, the local government units (LGUs) "are expected to coordinate the operations of these facilities with the barangay leadership in the zonal areas; assign security personnel for the orderly operations of the facility; provide regular nutritious meals; provide at least one local counterpart to man the area; ensure daily monitoring of their household contacts for possible infection (care of contact tracing assistance); and coordinate with local government hospital for the immediate confinement of patients transferred from these isolation facilities.”
Abalos and the NCR mayors expressed their gratitude to the PRC for its continuous aid to country’s fight against COVID-19.
"It is really a manna from heaven, what the Red Cross is doing. Maraming salamat po (Thank you so much), Senator Gordon at Red Cross,” Abalos said.
Pateros Mayor Ike Ponce cited the urgency to set up the isolation facilities, lamenting that "close to 500 households” in his area have tested positive.
The Department of Health (DOH) reported on Saturday, April 3, 12,576 additional cases of COVID-19 in the country. So far, the Philippines has logged a total of 784,043 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic started last year.