LEGAZPI CITY –– At least 108 classrooms were used to provide shelter to persons under monitoring (PUMs) of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Bicol region.
Gilbert Sadsad, director of the Department of Education (DepEd), said the local government units (LGU) have requested for the temporary use of schools as quarantine or isolation areas due to lack of facilities in their communities.
As of March 31, around 630 PUMs were housed in 36 schools for the 14-day mandatory quarantine.
Most of these persons were from Manila, who were stranded at the borders of different provinces.
“We are facing a crisis. We need to be supporting each other, together with the other agencies and the LGUs, ” Sadsad said.
He said that the DepEd and LGUs signed a memorandum of agreement that also highlighted guidelines on ensuring proper disinfection of classrooms after use.