The local government of Quezon City has started identifying existing buildings to be converted as quarantine facilities to address the need of more isolation units amid the rising number of patients infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Quezon Mayor Joy Belmonte said asymptomatic patients and mild symptoms can be admitted to these institutions until they recover completely.
The plan is to use local government infrastructure, public school buildings and dormitories as quarantine facilities to prevent community transmission and decongest hospital facilities.
To date, various local government departments are inspecting all potential isolation sites to achieve its goal of 1,000 new COVID-19 beds. At the same time, other facilities will be used as housing for health care workers.
Among the buildings that are being considered is the Quezon City University, which was first used as a community-quarantine facility when the city first experienced the first surge of the deadly virus last year.
Medical frontliners such as doctors and nurses will be deployed to closely monitor all the admitted patients.
