Excess watchers told: Go home to your towns

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia wants the excess watchers at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) to go home to their respective hometowns.

"This is a problem that should not really be a problem,” she said.

Garcia said that the watchers need to abide by the hospital’s one-watcher policy and those who are excess should go home, instead of camping at Fuente Osmeña Circle while waiting for their patients to be discharged.

Of the 210 excess watchers, Garcia said Cebu Province only has 130. She added that only 107 are residents of the province of Cebu, while the 23 are from Mandaue City.

"Papaulia na kanang mga sobra,” Garcia said.

The governor also said that about 100 excess watchers from Cebu Province, including those from Mandaue City, already went home last Tuesday.

Garcia also turned down the Cebu City government's request to place the watchers in the parking area across Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), which the province owns.

"Mura man hinuon ta ug niangkon ug problema na dili dapat problema.  Katong wa magkinahanglan, nganong naa man.  Dili ko musugot na gamiton tong parking area kay kahibaw ko kung karon 200 na, muabot nana ug 1000 labina kay libri pamahaw, paniudto, panihapon,” Garcia added.

The Cebu City government on Wednesday has also urged the watchers to go home, as it is not safe for the watchers to stay at the Fuente Osmeña Circle while waiting for their patients to be released from the hospital.

Early this month, the VSMMC has adopted a ‘No Watchers Policy’ to limit traffic inside the hospital, to observe social distancing and to curb any possible infection of COVID-19. GAN (FREEMAN)