Nueva Ecija governor orders improvements in quarantine facilities as local cases rise

Nueva Ecija’s local government units (LGUs) should improve their COVID-19 quarantine facilities to avoid local transmission and improve recovery time for COVID-19 patients, Governor Aurelio Umali said on Thursday, August 12. 

Umali warned the province of a possible surge in cases as hospitals in Metro Manila declare full capacity due to the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19.

“This is exactly what we need moving forward. If Manila hospitals have already declared full capacity, then we need to support our hospitals in Nueva Ecija by activating our quarantine facilities as extensions of our hospitals,” the governor said in a virtual press briefing. 

In its daily reports, the provincial health office has been listing not just the number of cases but also the number of patients admitted in hospitals, those under home quarantine, and those brought to quarantine facilities. 

As of August 12, there were 862 active cases in the province, with 240 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, 97 in quarantine facilities, while 525 are under home quarantine.

The provincial government has also started inspecting facilities put up by the LGUs. 

In Palayan City, there are currently 12 units of van quarantine facility with a total of 24 rooms built near the Nueva Ecija Treatment and Rehabilitation Center.

“‘Yung kalidad ng quarantine facility, we will delve into it as we go through our program, as the days go by titingnan po natin ang facility ay pasado o hindi, at kung hindi let’s call the attention of our partners kung paano natin i-improve ito,” added Umali.

(The quality of the quarantine facility, we will delve into it as we go through our program, and as the days go by we will see if the facility passes or not. If it doesn’t, let’s call the attention of our partners to figure out how to improve them.) – Rappler.com

Paul Soriano is a Luzon-based journalist and an awardee of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship.