ADDITIONAL isolation facilities in the province of Benguet are being constructed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to accommodate more Covid-19 patients and prevent transmission.

Following the Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) meeting, Governor Melchor Diclas said more isolation facilities are being constructed and targeted to be completed before the end of 2020.

He said the P8.2-million quarantine facility located in Ambongdolan, Tublay will be completed by December 18.

The DPWH started the project on October 7 with a 20-bed capacity eyed to serve Tublay and nearby towns.

Diclas said another isolation facility at the Benguet General Hospital is being fast-tracked for completion before the end of the year.

"Although the completion date is January 2021, the DPWH said they will finish the project before December ends," said the governor, adding the P13-million facility has a 16 bed-capacity.

Diclas said the DPWH also reported they are going to construct another isolation facility in Itogon worth P12.1 million with a 42-bed capacity that can also be used by other towns of the province.

Aside from the ongoing construction of additional facilities, he said the V Dormitory in T. Alonzo, Baguio City with more than 60-bed capacity can still accommodate Covid-19 patients.

Diclas said home quarantine is still discouraged, citing the municipal health office and provincial health office will only allow home quarantine provided that the patients are monitored by the barangay health emergency response teams.

With Mankayan having the most Covid-19 active cases, the Province has requested to the Department of Education-Cordillera Administrative Region (DepEd-CAR) for Marivic Elementary School, Paco Elementary School, Lepanto National High School and Lepanto Elementary School as isolation facilities.

Before schools are used as isolation or quarantine facility, there must be a certification from the Department of the Interior and Local Government the school is the last resort; certification from the Department of Health or the Municipal Health office the school is suitable to become isolation or quarantine facility; inventory of facilities for use as quarantine or isolation facility; and vicinity maps identifying the roads and buildings to be used.