In Maasin City, returning locals get a unique quarantine experience

MAASIN. Red Cross Southern Leyte chapter administrator Jonas Maco speaks to the camp residents (Photo courtesy of Jonas Maco)
MAASIN. Red Cross Southern Leyte chapter administrator Jonas Maco speaks to the camp residents (Photo courtesy of Jonas Maco)

ONEL Salazar, 26, said that being stranded in Cebu City amid coronavirus disease (Covid-19) brought him “great anxiety and paranoia.”

However, his stress was immediately relieved after he joined the Red Cross 143 Covid-19 Skills Camp upon his return to Maasin City in Southern Leyte.

"Being here is just perfect. It helped me relax and just be away from everything,” said Salazar during his 14-day stay at the camp in Danao Forest Park, some 15 kilometers away from the city.

“It had a great impact, making us feel more closer to God during this crisis. And relieved us from the stress, anxiety, and paranoia that we felt before the quarantine, knowing that God is always with us,” said the young mechanical engineer.

On June 23, Salazar along with 28 other locally stranded individuals (LSIs) successfully finished their 14-day quarantine period.

Family and friends became emotional as they were finally reunited after two weeks of being separated.

Established by the Philippine Red Cross Southern Leyte chapter, in partnership with the City Government of Maasin, Diocese of Maasin, American Red Cross, government agencies, and business sector, the first Red Cross 143 Covid-19 Skills Camp in the country formally opened on June 8.

Jonas Maco, Red Cross Southern Leyte chapter administrator, said they are looking forward to accommodating another batch of LSIs at the campsite.

“Our commitment continues. If we have the courage to begin, we also have the courage to succeed,” said Maco.

He thanked Maasin Mayor Nacional Mercado, Bureau of Fire Protection through its chief Raul Inocando, Philippine National Police and other volunteers for their support in securing the camp.

“What makes this quarantine facility unique, aside from the camp setting, is that during the 14-day quarantine, the dwellers will undergo various skills training,” Maco said in an interview.

“This is in compliance with the Department of Health protocols to let them stay safe in a quarantine facility, for the locally stranded individuals not to be bored, enjoying while staying safe and so with their family, and to be physically active within the 14-day quarantine period,” he added.

While the LSIs stayed at camp, they also attended a daily mass and a spiritual retreat officiated by Monsignor Oscar Cadayona of the Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Cathedral.

“The Church has been part of this project since the beginning. We were assigned to take care of the spiritual activities which formed an integral part of their stay in the facility,” said Cadayona.

“This 'Covid Camp' will make the dwellers feel whole and loved by the community. By having this camp, the people of Maasin show to the world what kind of community we have here in this particular part of the world. The prestige of a community is judged by the way it treats its members who are considered weak and vulnerable, to paraphrase St John Paul II,” added Cadayona in a report from Catholic news site Licas.news.

The prelate also congratulated the Red Cross, local officials, other partner government agencies and the Diocesan Social Action Center “for this gesture of love and hope.”

“A city not as resource-rich as other big cities, the Covid-19 crisis has greatly impacted and is pushing Maasin City to the limit. Being the smallest city in Eastern Visayas with very limited human and logistical resources, the City of Maasin’s local funds are also dwindling fast. We have creatively managed our limited resources to respond to the needs of our constituents,” said Mercado.

During their 14-day stay, camp residents learned free lessons on volunteer management orientation course, psycho-social support program, hygiene promotion, proper handwashing, Covid-19 prevention, forest tree planting and emergency first aid training.

Also, they were taught about basic life support training through cardiopulmonary resuscitation, fire safety, substance abuse prevention education program, gardening, food security and new normal orientation.

As spiritual and skills development programs abounded at the camping site, the 29 returning locals found their 14-day stay “memorable.”

Maria Mavel Malbas, a 24-year-old call center worker from Cebu, said she is thankful to the organizers who welcomed them despite the health risk.

“I will remember this in my entire life. Never imagined how a quarantine life could have a twist,” wrote Malbas, adding that she learned so many things during her stay.

“Cheers to all the frontliners who never hesitated to help and assist us every day. For the support and for the love and care you have shared with us,” Malbas said.

Maasin, with over 85, 000 population, has recorded one confirmed case of the coronavirus. The patient, a 26-year-old LSI, was immediately transferred to the city’s isolation facility.

As of June 25, the Philippine Red Cross-Southern Leyte Chapter and the City Government of Maasin agreed not to accept any returning LSIs that will undergo as well as experience the Red Cross 143 Covid-19 Skills Camp in Danao until the Department of Interior and Local Government's directive for the temporary ban on LSIs coming from or going to Cebu City is lifted.

“The management decided to only accept a batch of LSIs which comprises a total of 30 individuals to easily facilitate the programs and various skills training,” Mercado told Sunstar Philippines.

As of June 24, 2020, Maasin City received a total of 227 LSIs and 74 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

According to Mercado, a total of 72 LSIs and 57 OFWs have already completed their mandatory 14-day quarantine.

“Only a total of 155 LSIs and 22 OFWs are now being placed in our quarantine facility,” Mercado added. (SunStar Philippines)

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