A drug rehabilitation center at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija has been designated as a quarantine facility for COVID-positive patients, and is targeted to be operational next week, task force officials said.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, chair of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), National Task Force Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr., Deputy Chief Implementer and Testing Czar Secretary Vince Dizon, and Health Undersecretary and Treatment Czar Leopoldo Vega inspected the facility on Friday, July 17.
The facility has more than 500 spacious air-conditioned rooms, 478 of which will be allotted for COVID-positive patients, while 44 will be for the medical staff. The facility will be manned by the Bureau of Quarantine.
Patients will be provided 24/7 medical care and assistance, free meals, and free WiFi connection.
The government has converted major facilities into quarantine centers for COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms and are asymptomatic to avoid congesting hospitals, and to prevent transmission of the virus in the communities.
Isolation Czar and Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar earlier reported that there are 52,223 beds in Ligtas-COVID Centers, and 3,193 beds in We Heal As One Mega Ligtas Centers. Villar also said the government will be putting up 50 additional quarantine facilities in the next three weeks.