More than 700 individuals take refuge at the Alcala Gymnasium in Cagayan.
INQUIRER PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES
MANILA, Philippines — The spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in evacuation centers after a series of typhoons whipped the country is a looming concern, the Department of Health said Monday.
“That’s a possibility. Hindi natin yan ikakaila (We won;t deny it),” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online media forum when asked if the department is expecting a surge in COVID-19 cases.
“Nasa isang lugar na magkakasama ang mga tao especially talagang mayroong crowding tapos hindi sila magco-comply sa minimum standards like wearing of mask, nandyan ‘yung posibilidad,” she added.
(They are crowded in one place and may not comply with minimum health standards like wearing a face mask, so there is that possibility.)
Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / EDWIN BACASMAS)
She said DOH has deployed safety officers in evacuation centers to ensure that minimum health standards, such as wearing of face masks, are complied with.
Evacuees with COVID-19 symptoms will also have to be extracted and sent to isolation facilities.
“Ito ay isang posibilidad but the government is doing everything it can so that it can prevent this kind of situation from happening,” Vergeire said.
Thousands of Filipinos were forced to evacuate from their homes last week after Typhoon Ulysses triggered massive flooding in Metro Manila, Cagayan Valley and other parts of Luzon.