Gov’t eyes transfer of 200 Navotas virus patients to isolation facilities

Buses and ambulances ferry COVID-19 patients from Navotas to government isolation facilities last July 12. Image from the Facebook post of Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco.

MANILA, Philippines — The government is eyeing the transfer of some 200 residents of Navotas who are asymptomatic or with mild symptoms of COVID-19 to isolation facilities to ensure that mandatory quarantine is strictly observed, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Wednesday.

Año is the vice chair of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

“Nagsimula na tayo unang una dito sa Cebu. Ngayon, dito sa Navotas. Pangungunahan ni (Navotas) Mayor Toby Tiangco at mga public health authorities ng city at kasama na rin ang PNP (Philippine National Police),” Año told Teleradyo when asked about local government officials going house-to-house for screening of COVID-19 patients.

(We started in Cebu City and now in Navotas. Navotas Mayor Tiangco will lead it and public health authorities as well as the PNP.)

“Target natin 200 ang maililipat sa isolation facilities, siguro sa Philippine Arena natin ilalagay para sigurado na babantayan ang pag-quarantine nila at after 14 days naman maayos na sila. Mostly, asymptomatic naman at mild symptoms,” Año added.

(Our target is 200 people to be moved at isolation facilities, maybe at Philippine Arena so that we will ensure that they are being monitored and quarantine after 14 days. Mostly, they are asymptomatic and mild symptoms.)

Año previously said that the government officials will start going house-to-house to identify mild and asymptomatic cases. Possible carriers of the disease will be moved to quarantine centers.

But Malacañang clarified on Wednesday that there will be no “house-to-house” search for coronavirus patients, and that authorities will only transfer reported patients who are unable to have a proper home quarantine from their homes to government quarantine facilities.

To date, Navotas City logged 1,074 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 69 deaths and 344 recoveries.

EDV