Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 18) — A building at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City will temporarily be converted into an quarantine facility for people who may be infected of coronavirus disease, according to UP’s College of Social Sciences and Philosophy or CSSP.
The lobby and classroom located on the first floor of Palma Hall “will serve as an isolation area for suspected and probable cases of persons with COVID-19,” the academic department announced in Facebook post on Friday.
The facilities are now being prepared for use, the department added.
Classrooms on the second and third floors could also be used for the same purpose mentioned above, the CSSP said.
The CSSP also assured proper health protocols will be in place to keep its school personnel safe.
It said it has requested for personal protective equipment for their security guards to protect them from getting exposed to the infectious disease.
It added only the custodial workers who volunteer for the task will be assigned in Palma Hall. They will all receive hazard pay, the department said.
In-person classes for the rest of the semester at the UP Diliman were suspended due to the enhanced community quarantine over Luzon, which has been in place since more than a month ago. The government-ordered shutdown in the northern Philippines is set to expire on April 30.
Last week, the Commission on Higher Education allowed universities and colleges that are adopting the end their school year early.
For universities using the new academic year (August-July) such as UP, they are authorized to extend their semester for a month after the government lifts the Luzon-wide quarantine, CHED said.
