MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang announced Wednesday that 50 percent of Metro Manila’s public school classrooms will be converted into temporary treatment and quarantine facilities for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients.
“The Palace confirms that 50% of public school classrooms in the National Capital Region (NCR) will be used as temporary quarantine facilities as negotiated and agreed by both the Department of Education and the Department of Health,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.
“Resumption of face-to-face classes is set in January 2021, if and when a vaccine and /or medicinal drug is expected to be produced,” he added.
READ: Palace: DepEd OKs use of public schools as isolation centers until December
The initiative is part of government efforts to establish more quarantine facilities amid the continuous increase in COVID-19 infections in the country.
As of Tuesday, there are 139,538 confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide, including 68,432 recoveries and 2,312 deaths.
Metro Manila, the epicenter of the outbreak in the country, accounts for more than half or 76,870 of the total COVID-19 caseload.
The government has also started transferring all mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients whose homes are ill-equipped for home quarantine to state quarantine facilities to stem community transmission.
Patients deemed asymptomatic or with mild symptoms are only allowed to quarantine at home, provided that they have their own rooms, own baths, and do not have any individual in their house that is considered vulnerable.
Only severe and critical COVID-19 patients will be admitted to hospitals as well as those with underlying health conditions and are considered vulnerable to the respiratory disease.