Fifty-five airline passengers, who arrived in Negros Occidental Jan. 6 and 7, tested positive for COVID-19 infection in a series of antigen tests, Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force action officer, Rayfrando Diaz, said Jan. 7.
This was after Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson ordered the Provincial Health Office to conduct rapid antigen testing on arriving passengers at the Bacolod-Silay Airport, and seaports of Negros Occidental, until Jan. 9.
Diaz said the 55 airline passengers were immediately brought to a quarantine facility in Silay City for isolation.
Of these passengers, 25 arrived Jan. 6, and 30 today, Diaz said.
He added that Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, has requested Lacson to allow them to conduct confirmatory testing, through RT-PCR, to make sure that the result is 100 percent accurate.
Lacson issued an executive order Jan. 6 requiring all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, to present a negative RT-PCR result, 72 hours prior to their travel to Negros Occidental, if they come from areas under Alert Level 3.
Sea vessels, also from areas on Alert Level 3, are allowed up to 50 percent passenger capacity.
While intrazonal and interzonal travel is still allowed, Lacson, in his EO, discouraged travel to and from areas under Alert Level 3 and 4, including the National Capital Region and neighboring areas, like Laguna, Bulacan, Cavite, and Rizal.
Last night, the National Inter-Agency Task Force also placed Iloilo City in Region 6, Lapu-lapu City in Region 7, Baguio City in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Dagupan City in Region 1, the City of Santiago and Cagayan in Region 2, Angeles City, Bataan, Olongapo City, Pampanga, and Zambales in Region 3, Batangas and Lucena City in Region 4-A, and Naga City in Region 5, on Alert Level 3, from Jan. 9 to 15.
Individuals with fake documents will be apprehended and shall face criminal sanctions under existing laws and regulations, and subjected to a 14-day quarantine and RT-PCR test, at their expense, on the 5th day from arrival, Lacson said. | GB
