PhilSports Arena ready to serve as coronavirus facility
THE multipurpose arena at the PhilSports Complex in Pasig City is now ready to be used as a facility to accommodate people infected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Repurposed to accommodate one hundred plus patients, the arena, popularly known as ULTRA, was set to start accepting patients yesterday with the end view of treating them as well as isolating them from the community to mitigate the spread of the highly contagious respiratory disease.
A task force under the Department of Public Works and Highways led the conversion of the arena, which served as home of the volleyball competition in the 30th Southeast Asian Games in December, to a facility for COVID-19.
The PhilSports Arena is another one of the facilities under the supervision of the Philippine Sports Commission repurposed to help in the government push to fight COVID-19.
It follows those of the Ninoy Aquino Stadium and the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.
The PSC has expressed readiness to open its other facilities for use if the need arises.
“These times call for unselfish patriotism. Let us step up to the plate. This is us as a sporting community stepping up to bat,” said PSC Chairman William Ramirez.
As of this writing, confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country were at 6,259, with 572 recoveries and 409 deaths. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
