DOH inspects Ecija mega drug treatment center as possible nCoV quarantine zone

FORT MAGSAYSAY, Nueva Ecija –– The rear section of the Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center (DATRC), which is operated by the Department of Health inside this military camp, could serve as a quarantine area for Filipinos, who will flee China due to the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus, said Major Gen. Lenard Agustin, commander of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division.

The section of the massive drug-treatment facility that was donated to the government in 2016 could accommodate 2,500 people, he said on Saturday (Feb. 1) after a meeting with Dr. Cesar Cassion, DOH Central Luzon director who inspected DATRC.

The facility is one of the five proposed sites where Filipinos from China can be temporarily housed while they are tested for nCoV.

Citing the briefings, Agustin said soldiers and the surrounding communities need not be alarmed, stressing that the Chinese government would test the Filipinos before it gives the country the go-signal to fly them home.

Putting them on a 14-day quarantine is a redundancy protocol set up as a precaution against the disease, which has killed more than a hundred people in China. The virus was traced to Wuhan City back in December 2019.

Asked how the soldiers reacted to the plan, Agustin said he was also surprised when he was informed about the proposal on Friday night. But he said they would follow orders./lzb