Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) — Caloocan Mayor Oscar Malapitan on Tuesday assured residents appealing against the ongoing construction of a quarantine center near a crowded residential area that the city government is following safety protocols.
Residents of Barangay 28 are worried about the close proximity of the facility that will house suspected and probable COVID-19 cases to their homes.
But Malapitan said the lot is wide and the quarantine facility will be meters away from the homes, highlighting that the Health Department’s requirement is for the facilities to be six meters away.
“Malayo ang pagitan sa mga bahay, sa gitna po namin inilagay kaya wala pong panganib na pwede pong isipin ang ating mga kababayan diyan sa Barangay 28… Ito ho almost double, almost triple ang layo ho namin doon sa mga tao,” he told CNN Philippines.
“Imagine na lang ho natin, one hectare ho ito na nakabakod. Kaya safe na safe po, walang virus na makakalabas po rito. Hindi po magiging mapanganib para sa kanila at hindi rin naman ako papayag na manganib,” he added.
[Translation: This is far from the homes, we placed it in the middle so Barangay 28 residents won’t be scared. This is almost double, triple the required distance. The lot is one hectare, it is fenced. It’s safe, no virus can escape. They are safe, I won’t put their lives in danger.]
Malapitan said the quarantine facility will be big as it will only house 15 patients.
The local executive admitted he did not inform the residents of the construction, but explained the Caloocan government is racing against time.
He added there are no other areas to house patients being monitored as the city is crowded.
The government has tasked local government units to build or search for facilities that can be used as quarantine facilities to help over burdened hospitals.
Caloocan City has 110 COVID-19 confirmed cases as of Monday, according to the Health Department’s online tracker.
