Iloilo City PUIs, PUMs moved to new isolation area

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

Persons Under Investigation (PUIs) and Persons Under Monitoring (PUMs) for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Iloilo City were transferred to a new isolation facility on the evening of Wednesday, April 1.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas ordered the transfer from the previous isolation facility at the Iloilo Central Elementary School (ICES) to the city’s Jubilee Hall.

The transfer was due to the Department of Education’s (DepEd) requirement of a memorandum of agreement before the city can use the ICES.

As of Thursday, April 2, 2020, seven PUIs and one PUM are currently staying at the Jubilee Hall on Mabini Street.

In a press conference Wednesday morning, the mayor expressed his anger towards the DepEd over the requirement.

“Ga-ugtas naman ko sa isa ka national agency, ang DepEd. Gina-require naman nila sa kadamo-damo sang requirements, nga indi kami kuno ka-usar sang eskwela as isolation center kun waay kami sang MOA. Mag-gwa na lang kita da sa [ICES] kay ginapabudlayan kita sang DepEd,” he said.

The mayor said that when the Jubilee Hall becomes fully capacitated, PUIs and PUMs will then be transferred to the University of Iloilo PHINMA and the old Santa Maria Catholic School building.

These isolation facilities are part of the Iloilo City Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They cater mostly to PUIs and PUMs with mild symptoms without capability of undergoing quarantine in their respective homes or in hospitals in the city.

PUIs are persons with signs and symptoms of COVID-19 who have been previously exposed to confirmed cases and/or traveled to infected areas either here or abroad, while PUMs are persons who have no signs and symptoms but have travel history to infected areas and/or have had exposure to PUIs.

As of 12 noon of April 2, there are 52 PUIs and 284 actively-monitored PUMs in Iloilo City.