Local isolation facilities to be used when mass testing for COVID-19 starts

April 8, 2020

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Wednesday said the creation of local isolation facilities will be of help as the national government will start mass testing for the 2019 coronavirus disease ( COVID-19).

In a TV interview, Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano released an order for local government units to establish isolation facilities.

“We have a lot of testing kits in our possession (right now)…  meaning there will be a lot of people who will go testing and definitely the percentage of COVID-19 positive patients will also increase and big number of them will have no symptoms or mild symptoms. Since that is the situation, it is not advisable for them to stay in the hospital because they will just add to the congestion,” Malaya said.

“So it is best they are accommodated in an isolation facility set up by the LGU… in anticipation on this situation, it is imperative and needed for the LGUs as directed by Secretary Ano to set up their isolation facilities immediately,” he added.

Malaya said the “Bayanihan Grant to Cities and Municipalities” will help them in coming up with the facilities to further address the problem.

“This fund should be used in COVID response like buying personal protective equipement (PPE), hospital and barangay health center equipment, vitamins and medicines, even food packs and also funding for isolation facilities,” he said.

“If there is a hotel that they are eyeing to use as isolation facility… that can be charged under the Bayanihan grant… this is a one month extra internal revenue allotment for them,” he added.

Ano said Tuesday the Office of the President approved the P30.824-billion fund or the “Bayanihan Grant to Cities and Municipalities”  to boost LGUs in responding to the COVID-19 threat.

He said they are expecting the Department of Budget and Management to release the guidelines on the grant and it will be received by the LGUs in the next few days.

The government is eyeing to conduct COVID-19 testing to around 8,000 to 10,000 individuals per day.

The Department of Public Works and Highways is working on turning venues like Philippine International Convention Center Forum Halls, the World Trade Center in Pasay, and the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila into quarantine facilities.

The government will isolate all persons under investigation (PUIs) and persons under monitoring (PUMs) in these facilities, as part of the interventions to control the spread of the virus. Ella Dionisio/DMS