Iglesia Ni Cristo, 2GO Travel offer facilities to gov't as quarantine sites
The Iglesia ni Cristo and 2GO Travel Company have offered its facilities and vessels to the government as quarantine site for 2019 coronavirus disease patients (COVID-19).
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is working with 2GO “to set up a floating hospital that will be able to serve 1,500 patients, as well as a smaller ship that can handle 300 more.”
“This is all on top of the 1,000 that can be served in the terminal alone. All together it can serve 2,800 people, and it will be operational by next week. Thank you, 2GO,” he said.
Nograles said last Friday the government was also informed that the Iglesia ni Cristo offered the Ciudad de Victoria estate to quarantine COVID-19 cases.
“Yesterday, we received more positive news when we learned that ourbrothers in the Iglesia ni Cristo had agreed to let the government use the whole Ciudad de Victoria estate, not just the Philippine Arena itself, to isolate and quarantine COVID-19 cases. This includes the Philippine Arena, Philippine Sports Stadium and The Garden Suites,” he said.
“There will be facilities not just for patients but for our frontliners. Once everything is readied, the whole complex will have an estimated 1,065 rooms for patients, while frontliners will be able to share 476 suites good for two to four health workers each. Thank you very much Ka Eduardo Manalo,” he added.
Nograles said “while there are establishments that have rejected our frontliners, there are generous souls that have opened their doors to our doctors and nurses”.
He said these includes “the Oriental Hotel chain, with branches in Legazpi, Mariveles, and Leyte, are opening up their hotel and offering close to 300 rooms for our health workers”.
“Another hotel, Villa Amada in Legazpi, is offering 20 rooms, while five hotels in Naga are offering a total of 111 rooms for our frontliners. Dios mabalos po sa indo gabos,” he said.
Nograles added that more than 1,000 beds will also be placed to accommodate COVID-19 patients in Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Rizal Memorial Sports Center and in World Trade Center.
“PICC will have 700 beds, Rizal Memorial will have 600 beds, and World Trade would have 650 beds for a total 1,950 beds at least three facilities,” he said.
Nograles said the government may tap the health workers from different areas in the country to help in running these quarantine facilities.
“Currently we have the database of the doctors, nurses and health workers all over the country and we know where they are, we know what regions they belong to, we know where they are working so we know our current work force capacity and we will be taping them for these quarantine facilities,” he said. Robina Asido/DMS
