The city government has set up bed-holding tents in response to the rising arrivals of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) here.

Mayor Joseph Evangelista said the facility can accommodate 42 LSIs mounted inside the city gymnasium.

“This will serve as the holding area of the arriving LSIs before disembarking them for home quarantine or at the desired government isolation unit to ensure public safety against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19),” he said in a media interview on Tuesday.

The city government has partnered with the Armed Forces of the Philippines that donated the beds, while the tents were borrowed from the Department of Welfare and Development.

Each tent has two beds with a one-meter distance to avoid physical contact among occupants. The local government unit has also assured ample water supply, clean restrooms, and free meals for the LSIs.

“We also designated security and safety personnel to restrict the public from going near the facility in order to avoid virus contamination,” Evangelista said.

Currently, the city is using the local government-funded Kidapawan City Hospital (KCH) as a temporary treatment and monitoring facility for returning LSIs and overseas workers. (PNA)