IATF allows quarantine hotels to also serve as isolation sites

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles during the Laging Handa press briefing on the update of COVID 19. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The government’s pandemic task force has allowed quarantine hotels to also function as isolation facilities to do away with transferring individuals who test positive for the coronavirus, Malacañang said Friday.

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases approved this recommendation of the Department of Tourism (DOT), subject to specific protocols that may be issued by the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), according to Cabinet Secretary and acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles.

“Pinapayagan na po natin iyong [We have approved the] recommendation ng [of the] Department of Tourism for quarantine hotels to also function as isolation facilities,” he said in a Palace briefing.

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Previously, those who are undergoing quarantine in hotels are transferred to separate isolation facilities when they test positive for coronavirus, Nograles noted.

“With the meeting and the approval of the IATF, mayroon na po tayong panibagong resolution that allows quarantine hotels to also have isolation floors para sa ganoon hindi na po palipat-lipat iyong naka-quarantine na ROF (returning Filipino) or ‘di kaya OFW (overseas Filipino workers) from one quarantine facility to an isolation facility,” the Palace official said.

(With the meeting and the approval of the IATF, we have this new resolution that allows quarantine hotels to also have isolation floors so that ROFs or OFWs no longer need to be transferred to another place, from one quarantine facility to an isolation facility.)

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“Kung papayagan ng DOT, kung papayagan ng ating BOQ [If the DOT and BOQ agree], some quarantine hotel facilities can have isolation floors exclusive [for those who tested positive] para sa mga nagpa-positive so hindi na siya palipat-lipat [so that they need not be transferred] from one building to a different building,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nograles said the government continues to increase the number of laboratories that are accredited to handle RT-PCR tests.

“We continue to manage also iyong speed and efficiency ng ating mga laboratoryo sa paglalabas nila ng mga test results ng RT-PCR,” he added.

(We also continue to manage the speed and efficiency of the laboratories in releasing RT-PCR test results.)

JPV