Mayor Jerry P. Treñas urged symptomatic residents or those who exhibit Covid-19 symptoms to avail the free swab testing amid the spike in cases in Iloilo City.
Treñas said the city should test and vaccinate more city residents to curb the spread of Covid-19.
“Our cases are rising. We have to test more and vaccinate more in order to lower down cases and curb transmission,” he said in a statement on Monday, September 6, 2021.
Iloilo City government is currently offering free swab tests at the Jubilee Hall for symptomatic patients with doctor’s referral, close contacts, returning overseas Filipinos, and returning residents.
Treñas also hopes to lower the cost of the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test from P2,500 to P1,800.
Upon request of the local business sector, Treñas said he will seek the approval of the Iloilo City Council to lower the rates and amend the ordinance.
Meanwhile, individuals who will undergo a swab test for travel or employment purposes will be charged the standard rate of P2,500.
The city government reminded residents who will be subjected to swab tests to undergo quarantine and refrain from going out until their swabs test negative for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
For those who wish to avail free swab testing, the results will be released 2 p.m. the next day. Persons who availed of the test may also send a relative or proxy to personally get the swab result upon the presentation of authorization letter and a valid identification card.
The Department of Health Region 6 (DOH-6) reported 107 new cases in Iloilo City on Monday, pushing the total active cases to 1,983 with 448 deaths. (ERS)
