Bong Go wants quarantine rooms in gov't hospitals
Published Feb 8, 2020 01:56 am
By Armando Fenequito Jr.
DAVAO CITY - Sen. Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go is pushing for the establishment of infectious disease isolation and quarantine rooms in government hospitals in the country.
PHOTO BY ARMANDO FENEQUITO/ MANILA BULLETIN
Go bared this statement in an interview after the Change of Command of BRP Ang Pangulo in Sasa Port, Davao City, on Friday evening.
The senator said, with this measure, it would be easy for the government to act in containing any kind of infectious disease that might happen in the future.
“Dapat maging handa tayo sa ganitong mga diseases (We should be ready for this kind of diseases),” he said.
He said based on the situation nowadays, the health department and other agencies are having a hard time finding isolation areas for the 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) because the country has only few quarantine areas for this kind diseases.
Go said he would also craft standard protocols in handling cases like the 2019-nCoV to avoid causing panic to the public.
“Kasi in panic mode na sila, kahit ano na lang maiisipan minsan ng mga kababayan natin (Because they are in panic mode, everything will go to the mind of our fellow countrymen),” he said.
Go also urged the Department of Health (DOH) to coordinate with other agencies in tracing all those people who are in the same flight of the two 2019-nCoV infected patients.
“Medyo hindi po ako masaya noong sinabi nila na 17 percent lang daw po yung accounted. Sabi ko, walang rason na hindi niyo ma account yung 83 percent (I was not happy when they told me that only 17 percent of that flight were accounted. I told them that there is no reason that the remaining 83 percent will not be accounted),” he said.
“What if pumunta ng CR yung possible na naapektuhan, pag humawak yun sa mga knob o sa mga gripo eh, makakahawa na yun. Paano mo hanapin yung iba? (What if the infected person went to the toilet and holding the knobs and faucets, it would already spread the virus. How will you trace the others?),” Go added.
He said there is an exemption on the Republic Act 10173 or the Data Privacy Act if it concerns national emergency and health officials can ask the Bureau of Immigration, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, and even the Armed Forces of the Philippines to search these people who are possibly infected.
“Para ma-account naman sila at ma-quarantine lang naman po sila at masigurado din na safe na po sila (This is in order to account these people and send them to quarantine to ensure they are safe from the said virus),” he said.
The senator also appealed to the public especially those who came from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau to follow the strict protocol to ensure their safety.
“Please bear with the government, na talagang ipapatupad muna nila ang mga strict measures para maiwasan muna itong pagkalat (Please bear with the government that they will impose a strict measures against 2019-nCoV to avoid the spread of the disease),” he said.
PHOTO BY ARMANDO FENEQUITO/ MANILA BULLETIN
Go bared this statement in an interview after the Change of Command of BRP Ang Pangulo in Sasa Port, Davao City, on Friday evening.
The senator said, with this measure, it would be easy for the government to act in containing any kind of infectious disease that might happen in the future.
“Dapat maging handa tayo sa ganitong mga diseases (We should be ready for this kind of diseases),” he said.
He said based on the situation nowadays, the health department and other agencies are having a hard time finding isolation areas for the 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) because the country has only few quarantine areas for this kind diseases.
Go said he would also craft standard protocols in handling cases like the 2019-nCoV to avoid causing panic to the public.
“Kasi in panic mode na sila, kahit ano na lang maiisipan minsan ng mga kababayan natin (Because they are in panic mode, everything will go to the mind of our fellow countrymen),” he said.
Go also urged the Department of Health (DOH) to coordinate with other agencies in tracing all those people who are in the same flight of the two 2019-nCoV infected patients.
“Medyo hindi po ako masaya noong sinabi nila na 17 percent lang daw po yung accounted. Sabi ko, walang rason na hindi niyo ma account yung 83 percent (I was not happy when they told me that only 17 percent of that flight were accounted. I told them that there is no reason that the remaining 83 percent will not be accounted),” he said.
“What if pumunta ng CR yung possible na naapektuhan, pag humawak yun sa mga knob o sa mga gripo eh, makakahawa na yun. Paano mo hanapin yung iba? (What if the infected person went to the toilet and holding the knobs and faucets, it would already spread the virus. How will you trace the others?),” Go added.
He said there is an exemption on the Republic Act 10173 or the Data Privacy Act if it concerns national emergency and health officials can ask the Bureau of Immigration, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, and even the Armed Forces of the Philippines to search these people who are possibly infected.
“Para ma-account naman sila at ma-quarantine lang naman po sila at masigurado din na safe na po sila (This is in order to account these people and send them to quarantine to ensure they are safe from the said virus),” he said.
The senator also appealed to the public especially those who came from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau to follow the strict protocol to ensure their safety.
“Please bear with the government, na talagang ipapatupad muna nila ang mga strict measures para maiwasan muna itong pagkalat (Please bear with the government that they will impose a strict measures against 2019-nCoV to avoid the spread of the disease),” he said.