PICC, Rizal Sports Complex turned into quarantine facilities
THE government plans to convert the Philippine International Convention Center and World Trade Center in Pasay City and the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila into “fully functional quarantine facilities” amid the soaring cases of coronavirus disease, according to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles.
“The Department of Public Works and Highways, in cooperation with private entities, shall complete all the [work] necessary to convert [the facilities] and such other facilities as may be necessary, into fully functional quarantine facilities,” said Nograles, who is also the spokesman of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Nograles said concerned government agencies were directed to expedite the identification, establishment, and/or furbishing of facilities that would be used for quarantine or isolation.
“The DoTr (Department of Transportation) shall lead the identification of maritime vessels that can serve as floating quarantine centers in coordination with the DoH (Department of Health),” Nograles said.
“The Department of Tourism (DoT) shall finalize the identification of hotels and other similar establishments as quarantine facilities in every region of the country.
The Bureau of Quarantine is directed to assess the adequacy of such facilities identified by the DoT,” he added.
Local government units were also directed to finalize the conversion of provincial, city, municipal and barangay ( village) quarantine facilities.
Nograles said t soldiers and policemen would be tapped to man the quarantine facilities.
He added that a task group would classify if a certain facility could be utilized for persons under monitoring, or for patients under investigation and those found positive for Covid-19 with mild symptoms.