Isko Mayor Isko Moreno orders MHD assistant chief Dr. Ed Santos to track down all asymptomatic patients who are under home quarantine. Photo by JERRY S. TAN

Isko: No more home quarantine to prevent spread of Delta variant

July 18, 2021 Itchie G. Cabayan 413 views

AFTER receiving information that two cases of the dreaded Delta variant were found in Manila, Mayor Isko Moreno said home quarantine will no longer be allowed in the city to arrest the possibility of community transmission.

Moreno appealed for full support and cooperation on the part of affected residents, saying he will not hesitate to use the full force of the law for those who will refuse, since the good of the greater majority is at stake.

The mayor said he had directed Dr. Ed Santos, assistant Manila Health Department chief, to track down all asymptomatic patients who are presently under home quarantine and get them, for purposes of testing if they have the variant and proper treatment at the Manila COVID-19 Field Hospital under Dr. Arlene Dominguez.

Moreno also asked for the cooperation of the public, stressing the need to exercise due diligence in the wake of the Delta variant having made its way to the city and in order to prevent it from spreading further.

The said variant, as reports would have it, is more contagious, spreads faster and is deadlier than the ordinary COVID-19.

Moreno said that while the MHD allows asymptomatic patients to undergo home quarantine as long as it is duly verified that they have the proper space in their home where they can be under proper isolation, this will no longer be allowed for now.

“Kayo ay gagaling sa MCFH kung saan fully-airconditioned, may oxygen, may pagkain, communication equipment, TV at wifi. We will make it more comfortable for you. We cannot take chances. Maige na ang maagap. Aagapan natin ‘yung numero,” Moreno said, assuring the patients of better chances at recovery since they will be attended to by professional medical practitioners.

For purposes of transparency, Moreno bared that before he was informed, the two Delta variant cases have been in Manila for three weeks already.

The Department of Health (DOH), he said, suggested that the city perform contact tracing which the local government did swiftly. The immediate families of the carriers concerned were tested and luckily, yielded negative results for COVID-19.

Moreno also called for an emergency meeting among hospital directors, concerned departments and offices to discuss the problem and come up with preemptive measures.

AUTHOR PROFILE