Schools as quarantines won't work as classes start, says ACT

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) on Thursday said it might not be feasible to carry out the Department of Education's (DEpED) plan to use half of Metro Manila's public schools as COVID-19 quarantine centers with students going back to classes on August 24.

Even as students will remain as home as the DepEd tries online and blended learning for this school year, many teachers are still expected to troop to their respective schools on the first day of classes to get their modules and other learning materials.

According to Oscar Oida’s report on “24 Oras,” ACT said school opening plans “do not correspond” with the recent decision to allow local government units to use 50 percent of the National Capital Region schools as isolation and quarantine facilities.

It also noted that there are insufficient health measures present at the school level.

“We want to know from DepEd how they plan to do that given that teachers will very likely flock to schools come August 24,” ACT said in a statement.

“There aren’t sufficient health measures at the school level — no functional clinics with equipment and health personnel, faulty sanitation facilities, etc.,” the group added.

Earlier, the Department of Education gave its go signal to use the 17,910 classrooms in Metro Manila as quarantine facilities for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones said the number of classrooms could go higher if private schools would also allow their facilities to be used.

Among those to be converted to an isolation facility is the Talipapa Senior High School in Quezon City, which has a 67-bed capacity.

With this, several residents near the school also opposed the government’s plan.

“Dapat po ‘yan doon sa may ‘yong wala pong nakatirang ‘yong para pong bakanteng lote tapos doon po nila ilagay ‘yong pasyente,” a resident said.

“Mahirap po ‘yan. ‘Di nakikita ‘yong kalaban eh,” another resident added. —Ma. Angelica Garcia/LDF, GMA News