SOON, the New Clark City (NCC) in Capas, Tarlac may be named as the New Quarantine City as the Department of Health has designated the world-class sports facility as the quarantine site for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Wuhan, China. The said place is the ground zero where the 2019 coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is said to have emanated.
The said virus is now threatening several countries around the world with deaths in China counting to less than 900 while affecting far more than the said number including our country. The said virus is so far the most feared and dreaded because of the number of persons under investigation.
In the country, the number of suspected carriers of the virus is rising including those OFWs from China who recently arrived at the Clark International Airport and are now quarantined at the NCC. This is the subject of mounting protests from Capas Mayor Reynaldo Catacutan and many residents of the said town.
The mayor has called on President Rodrigo Duterte and the Department of Health to reconsider the government's move of quarantining the said OFWs at the NCC which is located at Capas, Tarlac. The local chief executive said he was surprised by the national government's decision to quarantine the said OFWs at the NCC particularly at the Athletes' Village.
The 2019-nCoV scare is also affecting Capasenos who are protesting the designation of the NCC as a quarantine facility. For them, this will amplify the scare that might stigmatize especially those near the NCC. This will also tarnish the image of the said sports facility as a world-class venue for international sports events.
Catacutan on the other hand is not discounting the national government's move to find a place to quarantine OFWs. He is aware of this need as a form of national emergency and that someone has to give way for such. He laments however the lack of coordination of the national government to the local government of Capas for such move.
The mayor is merely protecting his town and its citizens and that is understandable. He however has to give in to the need of the country for a quarantine place. The DOH has its reason perhaps why it chose the NCC as the most safe and conducive for quarantine.
Recently, Mayor Catacutan is being bashed on social media sites for his reaction. He is currently in Germany and videos of him calling the national government to reconsider finding other place to quarantine those repatriated OFWs from Wuhan.
The said OFWs are said to be asymptomatic, meaning showing no signs of infection. They have to be quarantined and put under monitoring activities for 14 days since they arrived in the country. The NCC which hosted the latest Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) last year is housing the OFWs in their individual rooms.
To date, residents and local government officials are beginning to understand the government's move of quarantining OFWs at the NCC. We cannot blame them due to the widespread scare. Who would not be when we can see on the news people infected with the 2019-nCoV succumbing to the virus.
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