San Juan provides quarters for frontliners

MANILA, Philippines — An elementary school in San Juan will serve as living quarters for at least 100 personnel of the San Juan Medical Center (SJMC), Mayor Francis Zamora announced yesterday.

Zamora said classrooms of the San Juan Elementary School, which is just one-minute walk from the SJMC, were converted into sleeping quarters with beds, toilets and showers.

Areas within the school were converted into a mess hall and kitchen where free meals will be served to hospital staff three times daily. The  facility has free WiFi connectivity.

“We treat them as heroes. We feel their concern for their families. They should not be burdened by the thought of transmitting the virus to their loved ones should they contract COVID at work,” Zamora said.

He said the SJMC is among Metro Manila hospitals with the lowest rate of COVID-19 infection at 10 percent since the community quarantine started in March.

Zamora said SJMC personnel and other medical frontliners in the city will also be receiving a one-time cash incentive of P5,000.

The beneficiaries include personnel of the city health office as well as medical workers of city hall, barangays, police and fire departments.

Non-medical frontliners involved in implementing quarantine rules will get P3,000, Zamora said.