THE village officials of this city’s 98 villages were given until June 30 to establish their respective isolation facilities.

Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar said the establishment of isolation facilities in the villages is pursuant to a directive of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Salazar said it is in preparation for the immediate quarantine of individuals who have come into closed contact with patients of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Salazar said the establishment of isolation facilities in the villages will boost the continued focus of the city government on protect, detect, isolate and treat, integrate and mitigate the impact of Covid-19.

She said this will add more space needed to isolate Covid-19 patients, noting that most of the confirmed cases are acquired through community transmission.

“We reiterate the need for the barangays to identify and establish isolation centers in their respective area based on the DILG circular, which should have been implemented a year ago,” she said. (SunStar Zamboanga)