Zamboanga City 2nd District Rep. Jose Manuel Dalipe II said Wednesday he would help lobby for funds from the national government for the construction of a quarantine center in this southern port city.

Dalipe underscored the importance of the facility to house people afflicted with contagious diseases, besides the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

“I want an appropriate safety measure that all those infected with the disease will be housed in one facility instead of putting them in the hospital mixed with other patients,” he said.

Dr. Omar Aranan, Bureau of Quarantine-Zamboanga Station head, said the Department of Health (DOH) has already purchased a 2,577-square meter lot in Barangay Kasanyangan where the proposed quarantine facility would be constructed.

Aranan said the building, which will cost PHP80 million, would have isolation and inspection rooms, a waiting area, and open space that can accommodate as many as 2,000 patients.

He said the facility would benefit not only residents of this city but the entire region as well.

The Covid-19 is a new strain of coronavirus not previously identified in humans. It emanated in Wuhan City, Hubei province, China and has already spread to several countries. (PNA)