AMID the surge in new novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in Metro Manila, Malacañang announced half of the public school classrooms in the region will be used as temporary quarantine facilities.
In a statement, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the arrangement was already agreed upon by the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Health (DOH) as the government looks for additional isolation facilities.
He noted the scheme was approved by DepEd to only take effect up to Dec. 31, since face-to-face classes are expected to resume in January 2021, if and when a vaccine and/or medicinal drug for Covid-19 is expected to be produced.
While there are no face-to-face classes, DepEd said it makes use of “blended learning,” which involves delivering lessons through online, television, radio, or printed materials to ensure the studies of students will not be disrupted despite the pandemic.
The government has been struggling to provide isolation facilities to the rising number of Covid-19 patients in the country, particularly in the NCR, the epicenter of the infection.
As of August 12, the Department of Health (DOH) reported 143,749 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country — of which 4,444 were new cases.
The government is struggling to coping with the increasing number of asymptomatic Covid-19 patients, which prompted it to hire hotels to serve as temporary isolation facilities.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is currently building an additional 164 isolation facilities, which will have total bed capacity of 4,100.