MANILA, Philippines — Precautionary measures are in place to ensure the safety and protection of both Capas, Tarlac residents and the repatriated Filipinos from Wuhan, China, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) assured Friday.
BCDA gave the assurance following the Department of Health’s (DOH) announcement that the Athletes’ Village in New Clark City (NCC) in Capas, Tarlac would be used as quarantine site for the repatriated Filipinos from China.
Gov’t to use New Clark City as place of quarantine for returning Filipinos from China
In a statement, Leilani Barlongay-Macasaet, BCDA Vice President for Corporate Communications, said all preventive and precautionary measures are being put in place to ensure that the adjacent communities of NCC and all Capaseños are kept safe and protected.
“We would like to assure the municipality of Capas and its officials that the national government will address all the issues and concerns raised following the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to use New Clark City as a quarantine site for our repatriated kababayans,” the BCDA statement read.
The BCDA has full jurisdiction over NCC where the Athletes’ Village, which was used during the 30th Southeast Asian Games, is situated.
“All preventive and precautionary measures are being put in place by the Task Force not only for our repatriated kababayans, but to also ensure that the adjacent communities of New Clark City and all Capaseños are kept safe and protected,” the BCDA statement added.
DOH Secretary Francisco Duque earlier said the BCDA offered the use of the facility as a quarantine site for the returning Filipinos from China.
The New Clark City served as one of the major venues of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in December 2019.
Capas, Tarlac Mayor Reynaldo Catacutan, however, lamented that the local government was not consulted on the use of the facility.
Tarlac mayor wants other quarantine zone for returning Filipinos from China
Catacutan appealed to Duque and President Rodrigo Duterte to consider another place as an isolation area for the returning Filipinos from China, where the 2019 novel-coronavirus outbreak emerged.
The first batch of repatriated Filipinos is expected to arrive in the country on Sunday and will be transported to New Clark City to undergo a 14-day quarantine, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido Dulay said.
As of Thursday, there are already three confirmed cases of 2019 nCoV in the country, while 178 individuals are under close monitoring for possible infection, the DOH reported.