Nueva Ecija opposes plan to turn drug rehab center into nCoV treatment facility

PALAYAN CITY–The provincial board of Nueva Ecija on Monday (Feb. 2) passed a resolution asking the Department of Health to reconsider its plan to turn the Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in the province into a quarantine zone for nCoV patients.

Local officials said the resolution mirrored the sentiment of the people of Nueva Ecija who have expressed fear of and opposition to the plan.

Vice Gov. Antonio Umali said the resolution was their “polite expression” of opposition to the plan, recognizing that the facility was owned by the national government.

The provincial board members said they were apprehensive over the DOH’s plan since DATRC is near densely populated villages around Fort Magsaysay.

DATRC is being operated by the DOH inside the military camp.

Maj. Gen. Lenard Agustin, commander of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division, said the proposed 14-day quarantine of nCoV patients in the facility is a redundancy protocol set up as a precaution against the disease.

Edited by TSB

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