The new three-story extension building of the Bulacan Medical Center (BMC) will be used as the central quarantine facility of the province as part of efforts to contain the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

This was confirmed by Governor Daniel R. Fernando during an interview by Presidential Communications and Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar over the “Laging Handa Network Briefing” program, which was broadcast live on Radio Philippines 738 AM and Radio Bulacan 103.9 FM on Wednesday.

The governor said the new facility could accommodate 250 patients. It has a 5,817-square meter area and built with the support of the Department of Health (DOH) in 2018.

“It is located in front of the BMC compound opposite of Camp Alejo Santos of the Bulacan Provincial Police Office,” Fernando said.

He said patients under investigation (PUIs) and persons under monitoring (PUMs) should be separated from their families in order to avoid the spread of the disease.

“This is the most reliable and the best way to stop the spread and transmission of Covid-19 in Bulacan,” he said.

The governor required all PUIs and PUMs in the province to be subjected for isolation at the central quarantine facility and not in their respective homes.

Fernando also suggested to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), to put up a testing laboratory in each region to speed up Covid-19 testing.

As of Wednesday, Bulacan has 33 positive Covid-19 cases and 12 deaths. (PNA)