See Photos of How UP's Kamia Hall Has Been Transformed Into an Isolation Facility
Schools-they’re not just for learning anymore. With COVID-19 infections overwhelming hospitals in Metro Manila, the region’s educational institutions have been tapped by the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) as new locations for isolation wards.
Answering the call, the University of the Philippines converts its Kamia Residence Hall as an isolation facility. ABS-CBN reports 98 rooms have been assigned for mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, while other rooms in the recently renovated dormitory have been set aside for medical staff.
The state-run school installs two beds separated by a divider in each room. To minimize contact, chairs are also stationed outside each door for delivery of meals by health workers. To note, meals are provided by the local government, but the PRC has also partnered with Rise Against Hunger Philippines (RAH) for snacks-the in-between happy stuff such as biscuits, chocolates, and bottled water.
Jomar Fleras, executive director of RAH, visited Kamia last week and reports to Esquire Philippines how its rooms were being “fitted with new beds, beddings, fans, and other amenities that patients need” in preparation for its opening as an isolation facility this week.
More institutions like the Ateneo de Manila University and the De La Salle University are also converting their facilities for COVID-19 patients. Below, see how the Kamia Residence Hall of the University of the Philippines has been transformed into an isolation facility.
Kamia Residence Hall, a dormitory in the University of the Philippines, has been transformed into an isolation facility for mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients.
An alternate entrance leads to another wing of Kamia Hall.
Chairs are stationed outside each room. Meals and snacks are placed on the chairs to minimize contact. At the end of the hallway, the common bathroom and shower rooms are found. These are newly renovated with support rails.
Each room is fitted with two beds with screens and dividers made by workers stationed at the isolation facility. Kamia Hall also has Wi-Fi.
Volunteers prepared mattresses and built dividers for the isolation rooms in Kamia Hall.
The Philippine Red Cross volunteers with (second from left) Jomar Fleras, executive director of Rise Against Hunger and (third from right) Victor Silvino, director of Salcedo Auctions, work to transform the dormitory into an isolation facility. The auction house is one of the companies that are donating to RAH’s food operations for COVID-19 patients.
.png)