DOH personnel disinfect New Clark City quarantine rooms – BCDA

MANILA, Philippines — Health workers from the Department of Health (DOH) have sanitized the isolation rooms of the Athletes’ Village in New Clark City (NCC) in Capas, Tarlac province which was used to quarantine the 400 Filipinos from the cruise ship Diamond Princess which was hit by the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19.

In a Facebook post on Friday, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), which manages the Athletes’ Village in NCC, said workers from the DOH – Central Luzon Center for Health Development (DOH-CLCHD) have disinfected the isolation rooms of the 445 repatriates.

The health workers were wearing personal protective equipment while sanitizing the rooms, the BCDA has assured.

“We would like to assure everyone, especially those residing in the adjacent communities of New Clark City, that the Athletes’ Village has been thoroughly sanitized by the DOH,” BCDA President Vince Dizon said in a Facebook post.

The Athletes’ Village remains under lockdown, which was implemented in February as it will be used for isolating the repatriates from Wuhan City in China’s Hubei province.

On Wednesday, the DOH discharged from quarantine 443 out of 445 repatriates from the cruise ship. The repatriates were placed under a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Two repatriates, who are asymptomatic, tested positive for the coronavirus disease and were admitted to the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital (JBLMRH) in Pampanga. The two were included in the 52 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, an asymptomatic repatriate is still staying at the NCC because of pending lab results submitted to the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa City.

Of the 52 confirmed cases, five already died including four Filipino nationals and one Chinese national.

COVID-19 is caused by the new coronavirus, which first emerged from China’s Wuhan City in China’s Hubei province late last year.

The new coronavirus causes mild symptoms such as fever and cough but can cause serious illness for the elderly and those who have existing health conditions.