BY MATÉ ESPINA
NEGROS Occidental is loosening up in time to welcome summer.
A new executive order signed by Gov. Bong Lacson adopted the IATF resolution banning the mandatory swabbing of incoming travellers to the province even if this process has worked in containing the spread of COVID-19 locally.
The only requirement now is to present a 72-hour negative RT-PCR result from an accredited DOH laboratory prior to travel and the Approved Travel Coordination Permit issued by the S-Pass travel management system and a downloaded registration at StaySafe.ph.
Travel within Western Visayas can now be done freely, this despite a report that the first case of COVID-19 Brazilian variant was detected in an Overseas Filipino Worker from Iloilo. The regional DOH are still determining whether that person has gone home or not, as of this writing.
The Brazilian variant is said to be highly contagious than the other variants. Add to this the surge of COVID cases in Metro Manila that prompted some mayors there to re-issue curfew rules, opening up borders now may actually pose a problem.
Over the weekend alone, DOH reported 21 cases from locally stranded individuals even if these LSIs were supposed to present negative RT-PCR results prior to travel.
Presently, Negros Occidental has 159 cases of which 109 are LSIs, three OFWs and 14 Authorized Persons Outside of Residence (APOR) for this March alone.
Provincial Administrator, Atty. Ray Diaz said they are “compelled” to follow the IATF resolution for fear of being sanctioned.
“Despite our effective system, we have to abandon it under pain of being given show cause orders,” Diaz said in an interview.
Clearly, the province is more comfortable in following their previous protocols which mandates swabbing at the port of entry even if one has a negative test result because they can immediately isolate those who turn up positive in local testing and conduct contact tracing more effectively.
With this new ruling from the IATF, the LGU can only pray that travellers will agree to voluntary testing at the port of entry at the expense of the province upon their arrival. But how many will actually volunteer for that knowing that apart from the discomfort of swabbing, there is that likelihood that they can be fetched and quarantined if they turn up positive.
I’ve had the chance to experience swabbing recently when I was invited to try the new Hyperbaric Oxygen Healthcare Center in Bacolod. Among the requirements is an antigen test which also pushes down cotton swabs in your nose. It is very uncomfortable and made my eyes water. Thus, it’s a welcome relief that we now have the saliva test offered by many laboratories.
I am not sure though whether this test is acceptable for travel protocols because even if DOH has approved this method, in their advisory, they will continue to conduct regular review of this method by subjecting one out of every 100 saliva samples to a nasopharyngeal swab for comparative study.
Based on reports, a nasopharyngeal swab has a detection rate of 85 percent, higher than the saliva test of 83 percent. With that minimal difference between both tests, I’d go for the less invasive saliva test which also costs half than the other swab test.
A published study about testing also points out that swabs must be administered to a suspected patient five to seven days after exposure to get a more accurate result. I guess this must be one of the reasons why we continue to see positive patients among incoming travellers because the RT-PCR tests required of them must have a validity of 72-hours or three days prior to travel.
With the new travel protocols and increasing cases in Metro Manila, I will not be surprised if we will be seeing a surge of cases here as well, especially when summer vacation sets in and we get tourist arrivals from urban areas which pose high numbers.
Negros Occidental boasts of a lot of sea and mountain resorts which have opened up but mostly for local tourists. We also have the recently reopened Magikland, known as the biggest theme park in the Visayas and Campuestohan which are both big hits among children.
Public transport to and from the airports and ports will also be allowed now and LGUs are not anymore required to fetch incoming travellers.
This new protocols will actually save LGUs additional expense that they have been shouldering since the start of this pandemic when transportation, swabbing and quarantine where mandatory.
However, if we see a surge in cases, it will be more expensive for our LGUs to contain it again. I do understand that opening up the economy is vital as we have been trapped in this economic doldrums for over a year now.
I simply find it ironic that mandating these new protocols were issued amidst rising cases in Metro Manila where most of our LSIs and arrivals come from. We have been seeing 4,000 to 5,000 daily cases nationwide and if this is not scary enough, vaccines continue to come in trickles./PN
