Manila Mayor Isko Moreno opens another walk-in COVID-19 testing site in the city. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – The Manila City government on Thursday opened its second walk-in COVID-19 testing center at the Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center (GABMMC) in Tondo, Manila.
Adhering to the local government’s “inclusive approach” to the ongoing pandemic, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said that the city’s free mass testing program is open to residents and non-residents of the city.
The mayor stressed that early detection is key to containing the spread of COVID-19 thus the city government will continue finding ways to sustain its mass testing operations.
“Kahit tayo ay nahihirapan, mayroon pa rin tayong tiyansa na maging mabuting kapitbahay sa ating mga kapitbayan,” Moreno said.
“Iisip at iisip tayo na hanapin, tukuyin at alamin sa lalong madaling panahon ang katatayuan ng isang tao para sa kaligtasan niya at ng kanyang pamilya, at ng kanyang komunidad dahil the key is early detection,” Moreno added.
(Even if we’re having a hard time, there’s still ways we can be good neighbors to our neighboring cities. We will find ways in the soonest possible time the status of a person for the safety of his family and community because the key is early detection.)
Moreno also said that the pandemic “has to have an inclusive approach” and “has to be confronted universally.”
Currently, Manila has four free COVID-19 mass testing centers including two drive-thru facilities, the first one located near the Andres Bonifacio Shrine while the second one is at Quirino Grandstand; and two walk-ins, one in Ospital ng Sampaloc and the newly-opened GABMMC in Tondo, Manila.
Around 2,100 Manila city residents have already recovered from COVID-19 while 188 succumbed to the disease.
There are currently 72,269 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines with 23,623 recoveries and deaths of 1,843.
Health authorities attributed the continuous growth of COVID-19 cases in the country to the government’s improved testing capacity and the relaxation of quarantine measures as the businesses and establishment resume their operations. Jim Mendoza, trainee