Physical distancing in practice at the MCAC meeting. Photos by Ashley Manabat
CLARK FREEPORT — For the first time, the monthly meeting of the Metro Clark Advisory Council (MCAC) was held Tuesday at the open-air gazebo of the Bicentennial Park here for the safety of the attendees amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Just before entering the venue, a tent was put up at the entrance for the disinfection of every attendee. A misting machine with disinfectant solution sprays mist as at the entrance and Clark Development Corp. health personnel check everyone’s temperature on the way out.
The MCAC is a council of governors and mayors of areas contiguous to this freeport.
Present at the MCAC meeting on Tuesday were Pampanga Gov. Dennis “Delta” Pineda and Mayors Cis Garbo of Mabalacat City, Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr. of Angeles City, Jing Capil of Porac, all in Pampanga;and Mayors Jonjon Feliciano of Bamban, and Reynaldo Catacutan of Capas, both in Tarlac, as well as CDC president–CEO Noel F. Manankil and Bases Conversion and Development Authority president–CEO Vince Dizon.
Also, on hand were representatives of the Department of Health and Department of Interior and Local Governments and other personnel of the CDC and BCDA.
During the meeting, BCDA vice president Arrey Perez presented the transformation of existing facilities here into quarantine centers.
The quarantine centers will house persons under investigation and persons under monitoring for Pampanga and Tarlac.
The purpose is to decongest hospitals in order to save more lives, said Dizon.
“We need to develop centers to save patients at the first stages of COVID-19 and protect the frontliners,” he added.
Facilities here in Clark currently being transformed as quarantine centers include the ASEAN Convention Center with 200 beds which is slated to be finished on April 10. But the BCDA said the transformed facility will be finished even earlier.
The New Clark City Athletes’ Village with 400 rooms that have their own toilets and baths and the National Government Administrative Center Building also at the New Clark City with 400 beds also set to be finished by April 10. The total bed capacity of the transformed facilities will be 1,000 beds.
The transformed facilities will have areas for Contamination Zone, where the patient is admitted and contained; Buffer Zone, an area for health workers removing PPEs, decontamination and hygiene; and Sterile Zone, holding area for health workers and area for PPE application.
Some of the protocols were also clarified. Only referrals from DOH-RESU shall be admitted; the LGU will transport patient to the facility, TRIAGE is no longer required, and no companion is allowed in the facility, patients must pass through decontamination, assigned a room or cubicle and given instruction and admission is only between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. since these are not emergency cases.
The MCAC meeting also tackled other issues related to the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon like the point-to-point transportation of Clark workers to and from Bamban and Capas as well as security measures along its borders.
Coordination of LGUs around Clark was also underscored.
