Capas LGU opposes using New Clark City as nCoV quarantine facility

The local government of Capas town in Tarlac was against the use of New Clark City as a quarantine facility for Filipinos returning from China's Hubei province where the novel coronavirus first broke out.

According to JP Soriano's Friday report on Balitanghali, the municipal council said that while they understood the situation of the affected repatriates, they also feared for the health and safety of their constituents.

Furthermore, the local officials insisted that they were not consulted over the move and that they were "shocked" when it was announced publicly that the quarantine facility would be within their town.

Some residents likewise opposed the plan, as they feared the virus spreading across their town because New Clark City was an open-air facility.

On Thursday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III announced that Filipinos returning from China would be housed at the Athletes' Village which was used during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

He said that the movements of those under quarantine would be limited to the premises of the building they would be using.

The representatives of the Department of Health (DOH) in Tarlac also explained how the novel coronavirus was transmitted through droplets from sneezing and coughing.

They pointed out that the repatriates who would be housed there for two weeks were those without symptoms and that they were only being monitored as a precautionary measure.

While the municipal council intended to take its resolution to court, the local government would adhere to the national government's decision while waiting for an official judicial ruling.

Both Duque and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority,  which has jurisdiction over the New Clark City, have yet to GMA News queries on the matter.

The New Clark City is currently off-limits to unauthorized persons. — Dona Magsino/DVM, GMA News