MARIKINA Representative and Deputy Minority Leader Bayani Fernando on Thursday, July 30, 2020, said vacant classrooms must be utilized as quarantine facilities for asymptomatic virus-positive individuals and coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients with mild symptoms.
The lawmaker said a 1:1 ratio is a safer alternative than letting individuals stay in their homes.
"I am proposing that asymptomatic individuals be quarantined in classrooms and the ratio would be 1:1 or one classroom, one Covid-19 positive person. In this way, we can prevent further transmission," he said.
Fernando cited a study from South Korean epidemiologists saying that people are more likely to contract Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, from members of their own households.
According to the lawmaker, people who contracted the virus would rather stay in their homes for "they feel that it is more risky for them to stay in cramped cubicles in the quarantine facilities built by the government."
"The people are afraid to go to these facilities. So they would rather choose to stay in their homes, putting their families at risk of infection. We have to allay the fear of the patients while at the same time, protect the well-being of their families," he said.
Fernando said that classrooms are equipped with better ventilations compared to most households in the country.
"We have around one million classrooms across the country and these are located in the communities. I believe that most of our classrooms are equipped with electric fans especially in cities where Covid is prevalent," he said.
"Many classrooms have toilets but for those that have none, the occupant can use arinola or bed pan instead," he added.
Fernando said that letters may be disseminated to some school administrators, assuring them that classrooms will be thoroughly disinfected after the pandemic.
The government will also shoulder the finances needed in the "restoration of their classrooms."
"The financial assistance for teachers should be a priority especially so that face-to-face learning is not practical at this time. In fact, the President mentioned in his SONA (state of the nation address) that he will not allow face-to-face learning until the risk of exposure is eliminated," he said.
"I hope that with this, we can reduce the rate of transmission," the lawmaker added. (VoxPop Philippines)
