DepEd confirms 1,200 schools used as COVID-19 quarantine areas

The Department of Education (DepEd) confirmed that over 1,200 schools and more than 6,000 classrooms nationwide are currently being used as COVID-19 quarantine areas.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones stated that schools should only be utilized as quarantine facilities as a last resort.

Briones outlined four conditions for allowing schools to be used for quarantine purposes, including that schools are a last resort in any disaster, classrooms must be appropriate for isolation centers, and LGUs must manage these facilities.

The use of schools as isolation facilities was approved after letters from Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and Metro Manila mayors requested their use.

She clarified that not all classrooms are suitable for conversion into isolation centers, and the facility must meet specific requirements.

Simultaneous activities, such as using a school as both an isolation and vaccination center, should not be allowed.