Briones: No decision to use schools as COVID-19 isolation centers
Published Mar 21, 2020 12:00 am
By Merlina Hernando-Malipot
Education Secretary Leonor Briones on Saturday clarified that there was “no decision” made at any level of government that allows the use of schools and their facilities as isolation centers or quarantine areas for suspected cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Education Secretary Leonor Briones (SCREENSHOT / RTVM / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
In a phone interview, Briones told the Manila Bulletin that there was no extensive discussion at the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) about the use of classrooms in schools as isolation centers. “There was no decision at the Cabinet level, at the IATF, and even at the DepEd level allowing schools to be used as isolation centers,” she explained.
Briones made this clarification after some local government units (LGUs) expressed their intention to use school facilities as quarantine sites to accommodate suspected cases of COVID-19 due to “overbooked hospitals” or the lack of sufficient health facilities in their respective areas.
The use of schools as temporary holding sites or evacuation centers, Briones said, has been a “recurring issue” that tends to come up in times of disasters and calamities. While there are already existing laws and policies against such a practice, she noted that this keeps happening due to the lack of available facilities that would address emerging and recurring needs.
“There was no decision at the IATF which includes DepEd,” Briones reaffirmed when asked about the schools being used as quarantine sites. Even the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), she added, is “not for the use of schools” as COVID-19 isolation centers.
Briones said using schools as isolation sites may not be ideal and might even “exacerbate” the current situation. “We are all for the protection of the general public, and I’m afraid to say that the schools may not have the capacity to adhere to the standards set by our DOH (Department of Health).”
Briones said the DOH has set standards for areas to be used as COVID-19 quarantine sites. “Our schools, our classrooms, may not necessarily comply with these standards,” she said.
Aside from space requirements, Briones noted that the location of the school is also of great consideration. Should an LGU suggest to use a school that is located in the middle of a city, it might lead to greater damage.
“If it’s accessible to all, we might put the entire community at risk if we use this school for such purpose,” she added. “We might be creating a greater lapse than what is already being feared.”
Briones also revealed that some schools are being used as COVID-19 isolation centers “even without the knowledge” of DepEd. “Some of our officials were just informed, but in some areas, they did not even ask for permission - wala man lang pasintabi (no courtesy), wala man lang ‘excuse me’ (no 'excuse me').”
In a recent meeting with DepEd Regional Directors, Briones said that they were directed not to “just allow the use of schools” as COVID-19 isolation sites. “Hindi pwedeng kara-karaka ang pagbukas ng schools para dito (We cannot just hurriedly open our schools for this),” she explained.
While all agencies are “given flexibility” to make decisions in this time of emergency, Briones appealed to concerned officials to rethink the use of schools as COVID-19 quarantine sites.
“We highly discourage this mainly because the capacity of our schools, classrooms are very limited,” she explained. “There are also many considerations precisely because this is a health issue and some members of the community near the school might not welcome this move.”
Education Secretary Leonor Briones (SCREENSHOT / RTVM / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
In a phone interview, Briones told the Manila Bulletin that there was no extensive discussion at the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) about the use of classrooms in schools as isolation centers. “There was no decision at the Cabinet level, at the IATF, and even at the DepEd level allowing schools to be used as isolation centers,” she explained.
Briones made this clarification after some local government units (LGUs) expressed their intention to use school facilities as quarantine sites to accommodate suspected cases of COVID-19 due to “overbooked hospitals” or the lack of sufficient health facilities in their respective areas.
The use of schools as temporary holding sites or evacuation centers, Briones said, has been a “recurring issue” that tends to come up in times of disasters and calamities. While there are already existing laws and policies against such a practice, she noted that this keeps happening due to the lack of available facilities that would address emerging and recurring needs.
“There was no decision at the IATF which includes DepEd,” Briones reaffirmed when asked about the schools being used as quarantine sites. Even the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), she added, is “not for the use of schools” as COVID-19 isolation centers.
Briones said using schools as isolation sites may not be ideal and might even “exacerbate” the current situation. “We are all for the protection of the general public, and I’m afraid to say that the schools may not have the capacity to adhere to the standards set by our DOH (Department of Health).”
Briones said the DOH has set standards for areas to be used as COVID-19 quarantine sites. “Our schools, our classrooms, may not necessarily comply with these standards,” she said.
Aside from space requirements, Briones noted that the location of the school is also of great consideration. Should an LGU suggest to use a school that is located in the middle of a city, it might lead to greater damage.
“If it’s accessible to all, we might put the entire community at risk if we use this school for such purpose,” she added. “We might be creating a greater lapse than what is already being feared.”
Briones also revealed that some schools are being used as COVID-19 isolation centers “even without the knowledge” of DepEd. “Some of our officials were just informed, but in some areas, they did not even ask for permission - wala man lang pasintabi (no courtesy), wala man lang ‘excuse me’ (no 'excuse me').”
In a recent meeting with DepEd Regional Directors, Briones said that they were directed not to “just allow the use of schools” as COVID-19 isolation sites. “Hindi pwedeng kara-karaka ang pagbukas ng schools para dito (We cannot just hurriedly open our schools for this),” she explained.
While all agencies are “given flexibility” to make decisions in this time of emergency, Briones appealed to concerned officials to rethink the use of schools as COVID-19 quarantine sites.
“We highly discourage this mainly because the capacity of our schools, classrooms are very limited,” she explained. “There are also many considerations precisely because this is a health issue and some members of the community near the school might not welcome this move.”