Why not home quarantine? Galvez says some COVID-19 cases even drink alcohol

Published July 13, 2020 04:13 PM By JOVILAND RITA,GMA News

Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. on Monday blamed the spread of COVID-19 in a Cebu City barangay to the mere home quarantine imposed on some confirmed cases..

In a public briefing, the chief implementer of the national plan against COVID-19 made the remark to explain the decision of the government to discourage home quarantine among coronavirus patients.

“Nakita po natin sa Cebu, more than 1,900 po ‘yung home quarantine. At hindi po sila napipigilan na halos buong barangay ay na-infect,” Galvez said.

“Hindi natin mapigilan na ‘yung positive ay makipagkuwentuhan sa kanilang pamilya at kanilang mga kamag-anak at bumibisita pa. At ‘yung iba nakikipag-inuman pa,” he added.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles on Sunday said the government was now discouraging home quarantine

for persons who test positive for COVID-19 to lessen the risk of transmitting the virus within households.

Nograles, co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, said the government now prefers patients to undergo quarantine in facilities instead.

On Monday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire  said plenty of isolation facilities were available to accommodate COVID-19 patients.

In isolation facilities managed by local government units (LGU), Vergeire said the occupancy rate was only at 25 percent, while national government-run facilities' occupancy rate was at 38 percent.

She said LGU-managed “COVID-Ligtas” facilities have 52,223 vacant hospital beds out of the 70,079 total, while national government-run “Mega Ligtas” facilities have 1,958 available out of the 3,193 total, as of Friday. -NB, GMA News

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