By ELLALYN V. RUIZ
Two passenger vessels that will be converted into temporary quarantine facilities will be operational by next week to cater to returning seafarers and other overseas Filipino workers who are required to undergo 14-day quarantine.
The Department of Transportation, in partnership with 2GO shipping, aims to serve around 1,500 patients.
As part of safety protocols to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the capacity of each ship will be limited in order to observe proper physical distancing.
The ships will also be subjected to inspection by the Department of Health to ensure their compliance with other health requirements.
“We must always be prepared to face worst-case scenarios. Most hospitals in Metro Manila have already pleaded for help in attending to COVID-19 patients. Some of them can no longer accept more patients due to overcapacity. And that is what we are trying to address here. We will deploy these quarantine ships to help our hospitals, our health workers, and our countrymen,” DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said.
The Inter Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases had earlier given the DOTr and Philippine Coast Guard the green light to implement the operation of ships as temporary facilities for persons under monitoring or those who have travelled to COVID-19 affected areas, and those who show symptoms but have no history of exposure.
