MANILA — News of the extension of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) until April 30 came as no surprise to many as COVID-19 cases continue to rise with no long-term relief in sight. Businesses and families are actually preparing themselves for another extension that could run into weeks, perhaps even months.
As if we don’t have enough concerns, one more problem we can add to this drawn-out battle is the depletion of already meager resources.
The shortage of hospital beds, facilities to house patients under investigation (PUI) or under monitoring (PUM), even protective gear for medical front liners are just some items in a very long wish list for us to win this pandemic fight.
That’s why the stories of Architect William Ti, photographer Willy Saw and financial services specialist Jocelyn Sy make for a refreshing break to gloomy headlines on fatalities and continued viral spread.
Five-Day Emergency Quarantine Facility
When the ECQ started, Architect William Ti realized that as the number of COVID-19 patients grew, hospitals will be overwhelmed. To flatten the curve, PUIs will need to be contained in one place to control the spread of the virus.
With this in mind, he launched the Emergency Quarantine Facilities (EQF) project together with fellow architects, contractors, and suppliers of materials.
“With the growth of the virus being so fast, we saw the need for speed and scalability. The structure has to be simple enough that it can be built quickly in 5 days. It has to use materials that are readily available and understood so most workers can work with it and it can be scaled up not just throughout the city but nationwide,” explained Ti.
