A city in Metro Manila and a government office have set up disinfection tents and other disinfecting equipment as part of the preventive measures against the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus in the country.
President Rodrigo Duterte placed the entire National Capital Region under community quarantine for a month, starting Sunday, March 15 to April 14, subject to daily review.
He also raised Code Red Sublevel 2, the highest level, amid the surge in the number of confirmed cases and deaths.
The total number of COVID-19 afflicted individuals in the country is now at 140 with 12 deaths recorded.
The region-wide confinement restricts land, air and sea travel of Filipinos to and from Metro Manila. Workers in nearby provinces, meanwhile, are permitted to enter if they present identification cards as proof of their employment in the Philippine’s capital region.
Advanced equipment in Marikina City
Marikina City last week shared that it has its own laboratory testing center, a community sanitizing cannon and a decontamination tent for early detection of cases of COVID-19.
The city government will also be supplied with 3,000 testing kits to prevent further infections in the city.
As of March 16, only five of the 64 individuals who have tested positive of the contagious disease came from Marikina.
Photos of the equipment were posted on the official Facebook page of Marikina City’s Public Information Office on March 13.
Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro was shown in the photos going through the misting or decontamination tent himself.
The sanitizing cannon, meanwhile, can discharge a plant-based solution to disinfect infrastructures up to 40 meters away.
CONTINUING MASSIVE DISINFECTION VS COVID-19Sa pamamagitan ng isang demo, ipinakita ni Mayor Marcy sa mga opisyal ng…
Posted by Marikina PIO on Friday, March 13, 2020
Teodoro said that the city government partnered with Manila Health Tek, the first biotechnology private company for health in the country and a “spin-off” of the University of the Philippines–Manila, which supply 3,000 COVID-19 testing kits to the city.
“Ito ay para agad-agad ma-test natin ang persons under monitoring or PUMs. This will liberate a person after being subject to test. Ito, ang ganda nito. Hindi na siya mag-aalala pa,” Teodoro said.
The doctors of the Marikina City Health Office will also be trained by scientists and doctors of the Manila Health Tek, Teodoro said.
Moreover, the company will also help put up molecular laboratories in its jurisdiction.
These initiatives were praised on local Twitter, citing similar efforts from Vietnam, which currently has 57 confirmed cases.
Twitter user @ohnoitslars retweeted a viral tweet from @LunaOi_VN who shared photos of “sterilization chambers” used by Vietnamese residents to disinfect themselves.
“Sobrang galing. It puts the national government to shame,” the user said.
Guess what: Marikina has decontamination tents too. In addition, no lockdown, price freeze on commodities, 3000 TEST KITS ORDERED, among other helpful ordinances. Sobrang galing. It puts the national government TO SHAME. https://t.co/NKrizDHBIm pic.twitter.com/jiRvY5nY1v
— Mr. Lastykun (@ohnoitslars) March 14, 2020
According to science and technology website TipsMake, Vietnam’s Institute of Occupational Health and Environment (Ministry of Health) collaborated with Hanoi University of Technology to design and manufacture these chambers to prevent and combat the spread of the new pathogen among its citizens.
“It is known that it only takes 15 – 20 seconds to ‘clean’ a person’s body before entering the clinic area. In addition, the system is designed as a module so it can be easily removable and transported. A complete installation system can meet the capacity of disinfection up to 1,000 people per day,” part of the article from Tipsmake read.
Disinfection tents at MMDA
The headquarters of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority in Makati City also has its own decontamination areas, wherein employees and guests, including high-ranking government officials, have to enter prior to entering the premises.
At the office’s exit, visitors also have to dip their shows in a foot bath.
Unlike the efforts in Marikina, some Filipinos questioned why such procedures in MMDA were not put up in hospitals and health care centers where they’re needed the most.
“Pahingi naman nito sa mga ospital o,” one Twitter user noted.
PAHINGI NAMAN NITO SA MGA OSPITAL O https://t.co/aa1i9uAcNY
— Raphael Fudolig 🐧 (@rpsyfdlg) March 14, 2020
Despite being at the front lines of the health crisis, health workers were not shown support and gratitude by Duterte, himself, during his public address last Thursday.
Filipinos, including Sen. Risa Hontiveros, gave the necessary acknowledgement to them online.
