IBA, Zambales—Quarantine and disinfection facilities are literally sprouting overnight in Zambales these days as local government units (LGUs) solidly backed the provincial government’s action plan to build local capacity and preparedness to combat the spread of the new coronavirus (Covid-19).
Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said in a news statement issued on Thursday that LGUs have already identified 15 quarantine sites in the province and that these are now being equipped with the necessary staff, equipment and supplies to house persons under investigation (PUIs).
These include two quarantine sites each in the towns of Palauig and Sta. Cruz and at least one each in the other 11 municipalities, he added.
At the same time, local officials, on their own initiative, have been establishing disinfection stations for passing vehicles at the border of their own towns, or barangays, along the provincial highway, Ebdane said.
“It is very heartening how community leaders and officials eagerly complied,” the governor said, adding that he has been inspecting proposed quarantine sites since Tuesday.
Ebdane ordered all LGU units to implement more stringent measures last Sunday, stressing that preparedness be at the core of the provincial action plan against Covid-19.
He also designated the President Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Hospital (PRMMH) here in Iba for the exclusive use of Covid-19 cases.
As of Wednesday, April 1, all regular patients at PRMMH have been transferred to the two district hospitals in San Marcelino and Candelaria towns, while some opted to continue treatment at the Kainomayan Community Hospital in Botolan.
Ebdane said that on top of the municipal quarantine sites, the provincial government is maintaining two other quarantine sites—one at the provincial hospital here and the Bahay Pag-asa in Botolan town.
“It is important to segregate cases of Covid-19 to prevent possible spread through the sharing of the same facility,” the governor explained.
He said the provincial government also required mandatory quarantine for new arrivals in the province, among them workers and students returning to their hometown. They will be quarantined with the full support from the government for 14 days at facilities in the border towns of Sta. Cruz and Subic.
Ebdane also said that under his six-point emergency preparedness action plan, LGUs have begun doing inventory of their current stock of supplies of food and medicine, while a number of private doctors and other medical personnel have enlisted as health “reservist” in their localities.
“In times like this, cooperation is the most important contribution anyone can make. It would be easier for us to contain, and consequently eradicate the virus if the community acted as one,” he said.
As of April 1, the Zambales province has reported three confirmed cases of Covid-19 infection, among them a 90-year-old resident of Castillejos town who died on March 27. But so far, eight PUIs in the province have been discharged after testing negative, while six are awaiting results, according to the Zambales Provincial Health Office (PHO).
The PHO also indicated that as of April 1, only 3,831 persons under monitoring (PUMs) remained of the 13,258 that the province had recorded since Day 1 of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine, while 135 of the recorded 262 PUIs have completed the 14-day observation period without any progressing symptoms.
“The numbers here are small compared to other areas, but this does not mean we can relax our vigilance,” Ebdane clarified. “Zambales, in fact, has just stepped up its response to the threat,” he added.
