BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Policemen are hunting down seven Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APORs) who refused to be swabbed at the Bacolod-Silay Airport in Silay City, Negros Occidental for coronavirus disease 2019 testing.
The provincial government ordered the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office to arrest these APORs for skipping this health protocol on Tuesday, according to Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz.
Diaz identified them as Charle Magne Andres, Dexter Claveria Aquino, Marlo Federiso and Johnny Yanes of DC Aquino Land Surveying Services, and Jestoni Absin Mangulabnan, Froillan Cris Timplanza Tungol, and Jim Batiduan Valerio of Pax Cable, Inc.
They can be considered as threats to public health after refusing to be tested even if they don’t have known exposure to a positive or potential COVID-19 patient, said Diaz.
“It seems that these APORs are being allowed to enter Bacolod City to go straight to work,” Diaz said.
Negros Occidental has an existing health protocol that all those who intend to enter the province, including APORs, are required to undergo swabbing at the airport.
Based from the Sept. 17 data of the Department of Health, the province has a total 2,186 cumulative COVID-19 cases./PN