TWO MONTHS after the end of the Southeast Asian Games, the Athletes' Village in New Clark City will take on a new role: as a quarantine zone for Pinoy OFWs repatriated from China in the midst of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
On Thursday, February 6, Department of Health (DOH) secretary Francisco Duque III has said that the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) has offered the SEA Games facilities for OFWs returning from Hubei, China — the epicenter of the outbreak.
The Chinese government has currently locked down the entire province, but the Department of Foreign Affairs is working to get Filipino citizens back to the country as soon as possible.
"New Clark City was designed to be a resilient metropolis, and is ready for any and all situations, including those that concern public health," said the BCDA in a statement.
All repatriated OFWs (expected to number around 45) will land in Clark Airport before being transported to the Athletes' Village. The two-building complex, which can house 1,800 visitors, will become the repatriates' home for the next 14 days as they are monitored for symptoms.
One building will be for asymptomatic patients, while the other one will be for those who develop symptoms. New Clark City already has an existing polyclinic run by the Philippine General Hospital, located just two minutes' away.
"In line with the announcement made by the Department of Health (DOH), New Clark City will be placed on lockdown starting Thursday, February 6, until further notice," continued the BCDA statement.
The nearby Tarlac town of Capas, however, has voiced its opposition to this plan, with mayor Reynaldo Catacutan saying that "DOH did not at all involve Capas LGU in its last-minute decision for New Clark City to be used as quarantine zone."
In a text message to SPIN Life, a BCDA spokesman said, "We would like to assure the municipality of Capas and its officials that the national governemnt will address all the issues and concerns raised following the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to use New Clark City as a quaratine site for repatriated kababayans.
"All preventive and precautionary measures are being put in place by the Task Force not only for our repatriated kababayans, but also to ensure that the adjacent communities of New Clark City and all Capasenos are kept safe and protected."
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