UP Diliman member monitored for Covid-19

MANILA – A member of the University of the Philippines (UP) community in Diliman, Quezon City is being monitored for manifesting symptoms of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), the campus chancellor confirmed on Tuesday.

UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo said the patient under investigation (PUI), who had high fever, was screened at the University of Health Service’s (UHS) holding area on Monday and later transferred to another hospital for testing.

Nemenzo, however, did not give further details as to whether the PUI was a UP student, faculty member, or employee and as to where hospital the patient was tested.

“We assure you that in handling the PUI, all protocols were strictly followed, the patient was completely isolated from the rest of the UHS patients, and that the holding area was immediately disinfected,” he said in a statement.

Nemenzo said UP-Diliman already formed a Covid-19 task force that is mandated to ensure the full and effective implementation of protocols and mechanisms to combat the threat of the coronavirus in the UP community.

He said the campus also imposed new policies and guidelines that should be followed by UP students, faculty members, employees, and residents.

The policies and guidelines include indefinite “local or international” travel ban, cancelation of campus events, online classes, and observation of social distancing, proper hygiene and behavioral etiquette, Nemenzo said.

Nemenzo called on the UP-Diliman community to take the precautionary measures to protect their “collective health and well-being” amid uncertainties about the local extent and pace of the spread of Covid-19.

“These will help with the choices we will make to protect our community’s health and that of the greater community we belong to,” he said.

Nemenzo also encouraged those who would like to ask questions and share information to contact the campus’ task force at uhs.updiliman@upedu.ph with “Covid-19” as subject, or through mobile phone number 0947-427-9281 or telephone number 8981-8500 local 2709.

“These are not normal times. But I believe in our community’s resilience and ability to live through this crisis with compassion and solidarity. Time and again, we have seen that the most effective response to public health emergencies is our ability as a community to look out for each other,” he said.

The UP-Diliman has suspended classes and work from March 10 to 14 after President Rodrigo Duterte announced the cancelation of classes in all levels in Metro Manila to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Duterte already declared a state of public health emergency following the rise in confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country.

The Department of Health on Tuesday confirmed that there are nine new cases of Covid-19 in the Philippines, bringing the total number of infected people to 33.