Home quarantine now prohibited in Quezon City, local gov't says
MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City residents who are positive for COVID-19 will no longer be allowed to undergo isolation inside their homes, the city government announced Wednesday.
In a statement, the local government said that Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte passed a measure requiring the asymptomatic and symptomatic patients in the city to be isolated in facilities authorized by the city's health department only.
“We deem it necessary to prohibit COVID-19 patients, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, from undergoing isolation in their homes, to prevent infection among their household members as well as their communities, especially with the dreaded and more infectious Delta variant now in Metro Manila,” Belmonte said in passing the measure.
The measure was introduced by the city council’s majority floor leader Franz Pumaren, who earlier held a feeding program that attracted some 6,000 residents of the city. Belmonte and the Quezon City Police District eventually cleared him of any violations, saying the mass gathering enforced health protocols.
READ: QC councilor slapped with show-cause order over food distribution activity
Under the measure, the Quezon City Health Department is authorized to require isolation of confirmed COVID-19 cases at the city’s isolation facilities or in those operated by barangays.
Patients will only be tagged as recovered “as long as they have completed the said isolation period, have clinically recovered, are no longer symptomatic for at least three days, and have received clearance from a licensed medical doctor" and after completing their 10-day quarantines.
This, while fully vaccinated residents who test positive for COVID-19 will be required to stay at the city's HOPE isolation facilities for at least a week. Visitors, including family members, are strictly prohibited.
The local government also included provisions holding that COVID-19 patients caught in public before they are tagged as recovered will be penalized for violations.
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Disclosure: Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte is a shareholder of Philstar Global Corp., which operates digital news outlet Philstar.com.
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