Mental hospital in Pili lockdown due to Covid

By Mar S. Arguelles

The Don Susano Rodriguez Memorial Mental Hospital at Barangay Cadlan, in Pili, Camarines Sur and its Department of Psychiatry Out-Patient Services, were placed under lockdown on Sunday, May 23, after patients and a healthcare worker was tested positive for the Covid-19 disease, the Bicol Medical Center (BMC) said.

Mylce Mella, BMC spokesperson in a press statement, said the lockdown took effect Sunday until further notice as the premises would undergo disinfection and contact tracing procedures.

She said the staff and patients were already isolated and necessary infection and control measures were put in place by the hospital’s Epidemiology Surveillance Unit and the Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious diseases (EREID) unit.

With the temporary closure of the BMC’s Psychiatry Out-Patient Services, Mella advised patients or families that need psychiatric help were advised to coordinate with their respective municipal health officer (MHO) or call the BMC Department of Psychiatry’s Hotline +639610376820.