Belmonte asks BOQ to coordinate housing of COVID-19 cases in QC

After the Quezon City government discovered that three hotels in the city were being used to isolate 192 COVID-19 positive cases not from the locality, Mayor Joy Belmonte on Sunday called on the Bureau of Quarantine to coordinate the housing of COVID-19 patients with the local government.

A total of 75 patients were discovered to be staying at the MC Hotel, 57 others at the Fox Hotel, and 60 more at the Astrotel.

“Hindi man lang sila nagpaabiso o nakipag-ugnayan sa amin bago nila ginawa ito. Maayos ba ang security nila upang masiguradong ‘di lumalabas ang mga pasyente? May sapat na healthworkers ba silang nag-aasikaso sa mga pangangailangan ng mga maysakit?,” Belmonte stressed.

“May proper waste disposal protocols and infectious waste haulers ba sila para siguraduhing ‘di makahawa sa iba? These concerns have to be coordinated with us because our job is to further prevent the spread of this virus in our city given that the hotels are used as quarantine facilities,” she added.

Belmonte said the patients were found isolated in the three hotels during various joint inspections by the Business Permits and Licensing Department, City Health Department, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Department of Public Order and Safety, and the QC Tourism Department.

QCTD Action Officer Tetta Tirona said it was only during the inspection of the two hotels that the team was informed by the BOQ regarding the presence of COVID-19 patients, all of whom were asymptomatic.

Tirono added that Astrotel informed the city government about their COVID-19 patients, but came late as they were already billeted in the hotel days before the notice.

All the patients found in Astrotel were residents of Caloocan City, a nurse from the Department of Health said.

“While we welcome patients from neighboring cities who need to be quarantined, we would like to be told in advance so we can ensure their safety and security as well as those of our residents living nearby,” Tirona said.

Moreover, the head of the BPLD said the hotels were not able to present any proof of compliance with various regulatory clearances of the city. — DVM, GMA News