The municipal government of La Trinidad, Benguet is now seeking the permission from the education department to allow the conversion of some public elementary and secondary schools in the municipality as additional quarantine and isolation units following the continuous surge in the number of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the locality over the past several weeks.
Mayor Romeo K. Salda reported that the existing temporary treatment and monitoring facilities of the local government are now reportedly filled up, thus, the urgent need for the opening of more isolation units for the quarantine and isolation requirements of confirmed patients.
He emphasized there is a need to have more isolation facilities because of the new policy from the inter-agency task force for the management of emerging infectious diseases that asymptomatic patients will no longer undergo home isolation but instead are required to undergo facility-based isolation which now burdens the local health care system.
The local chief executive welcomed the decision of the inter-agency task force in placing the Cordillera under general community quarantine because the local government will have the basis to implement additional restrictions to limit the movement of people and control the further surge in the number of COVID cases in the municipality and other neighboring areas so that La Trinidad will not be blamed by other local officials as the source of COVID cases in their places.
Mayor Salda stipulated the local government is steadfast in providing appropriate actions to the issues and concerns on the surge in COVID cases in the municipality and he is grateful that even the provincial inter-agency task force and concerned government agencies are ready to assist in the implementation of the appropriate strategies to help contain the surge in cases in the locality.
Last month, Benguet was one of the areas placed under modified quarantine (MGCQ) before the same was downgraded to GCQ this April because of the recorded surges in the number of COVID cases over the past several weeks that caused officials and health experts to be alarmed over the said situation.
Salda expressed hope that the situation will be contained with the downgrading of the various community quarantine status in the different parts of the country and the cooperation of the people on the implementation of the basic health and safety protocols that remains to be primary weapon of the residents against the virus.
(Dex See | Joseph Manzano, RPN DZBS Baguio OIC)
