ILOILO – Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. is keeping the provincial government’s current quarantine protocols for returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) despite the threat of the more contagious variant of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“Wala man gid sang significant nga irislan,” Defensor said yesterday.
He expressed confidence that protocols are properly executed to keep the province free from the B117 SARS-CoV-2 virus first detected in the United Kingdom.
Defensor cited the case of an Ilongga from Lebanon infected with the new, more transmissible COVID-19 strain.
The 64-year-old resident of Leon town returned to the country on Dec. 29, 2020 on board Philippine Airlines flight PR 8661. She was found positive for COVID-19 that same day.
The Ilongga repatriate was initially isolated in San Juan City, Metro Manila and was discharged on Jan. 9.
She was allowed to go home the next day after her second swab turned out negative for the virus.
From the airport, the Ilongga was fetched by an ambulance of the local government unit (LGU) of Leon and was immediately placed under facility quarantine.
The Ilongga was again swabbed three days after her arrival in the town; the result was again negative for the viral disease.
According to Defensor, her movement was contained as protocols instituted by the national government’s Task Force against COVID-19 were properly followed.
On Aug. 19, 2020, the task force headed by Defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana issued the “Operational Guidelines on the Management of Returning Overseas Filipinos.”
The salient features were the following:
* All receiving LGUs shall not deny the entry of ROFs with complete requirements, provided that prior coordination was made through the national task force and/or the regional task forces (RTF) and other concerned agencies as deemed necessary
* All ROFs in good health with test documents showing negative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result for COVID-19 shall not be subjected to another 14-day quarantine by the receiving LGUs
The guidelines also listed things/moves that LGUs must do upon the ROFs’ arrival. These were the following:
* The concerned RTF/LGUs shall facilitate the transportation of arriving ROFs to their respective home provinces
* Upon arrival of ROFs to their final destination, the Local COVID Task Force shall receive the ROFs and assist in their transportation to their respective homes
* The ROFs shall no longer be subjected to Local Health Protocols by receiving LGUs
* The ROFs shall notify their respective LGUs if they manifest signs and symptoms of COVID-19
Meanwhile, under the local policy of the provincial government, arriving ROFs at the lloilo Airport in Cabatuan town are fetched by their respective LGUs and would observe the mandatory quarantine in isolation facilities.
After three to four days, ROFs are subjected to RT-PCR test. If they would yield negative results, they are allowed to go home but instructed to still observe strict home quarantine for 14 days.
Based on the Provincial Health Office’s data, ROFs comprised seven percent or 237 cases of the 3,455 total COVID-19 cases in Iloilo as of Jan. 25.
Since the recording started in March last year, the province had a total of 3,036 cases having recovered and 101 deaths, leaving the active cases being monitored at 318./PN
