Red Cross taps 3 universities for isolation facilities

THE Philippine Red Cross (PRC) tapped three universities in Metro Manila for their facilities to be used as additional isolation wards amid the surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases.

Sen. Richard Gordon, concurrent PRC chairman, said in a statement that they have sought the help of Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU), University of the Philippines (UP), and De La Salle University (DLSU) to set up isolation facilities in their premises “starting this week so we can provide for them”.

As of posting time, Gordon said PRC staff and volunteers are converting 32 ADMU classrooms into isolation units, while UP Diliman offered 96 dormitory rooms of its newly retrofitted Kamia Residence Hall. An isolation facility is being set up in DLSU but the exact bed units have not been determined.

“The general objective is to remove the asymptomatic spreader in a multi-generational household, or those families living with grandparents and little children, para maiwasang makapanghawa pa sila (so as to avoid transmission),” he added.

Last week, the humanitarian organization also joined forces with Metro Manila mayors to convert certain public and private schools into isolation units.