By Francis Allan L. Angelo and Joseph B.A. Marzan
The Iloilo City government will now require confirmed COVID-19 cases to undergo repeat RT-PCR testing.
The requirement is set by Executive Order No. 176, which Mayor Jerry Treñas issued on Oct 27, 2020. It takes effect Oct 28.
One of the reasons stated in the EO is the 42 new confirmed cases reported by the Department of Health-6 regional office.
Treñas said all persons who are confirmed COVID-19 positive are “mandated to undergo a repeat RT-PCR testing before they can be allowed to return to normal activities of daily living.”
This is open to all city residents and even non-residents, who are under quarantine in the city’s facilities or admitted in hospitals in the city, Treñas told Daily Guardian via text message.
For persons observing home quarantine, the repeat testing shall be done after completion of the 14-day quarantine. They must report to the district health officers to confirm the schedule of their repeat tests.
For those who are in designated quarantine facilities and confined to hospitals, the test shall be conducted prior to their discharge. They must report to Iloilo City quarantine facility manager Gabriel Umadhay for their schedule.
Umadhay can be reached via 0998-170-0627 and 0977-087-0458.
The city government shall shoulder the expenses of the RT-PCR testing.
Violators of the EO will face administrative and/or criminal charges. Businesses that violate the EO will also face revocation of their permits.
As of Oct 26, 2020, DOH data indicated that Iloilo City has 3,891 cases (632 active cases, 3,174 recoveries, and 85 deaths).
The Iloilo City COVID-19 Emergency Operations Center reported 13 new cases as of Oct 27, citing data from the City Health Office.
Meanwhile, the Iloilo City COVID Team recommended that COVID-19 transmission management should be more strictly monitored and implemented at the grassroots level.
Treñas requested offices and establishments, both private and public, to submit a COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan “so we can deliver concerted efforts towards proper containment, monitoring, and response of cases in Iloilo City.”
The plan must contain the following:
-Preventive Measures – measures taken by the office/company to prevent contracting and the spread of COVID-19;
-Protocol in Handling COVID-19 positive and COVID-19 suspect personnel – procedure followed by the office/company regarding employees who are confirmed COVID-19 positive or COVID-19 suspects;
-Management of Recovered COVID-19 Personnel – steps taken by the office/company before re-admission to work of a recovered COVID-19 personnel;
-Staffing arrangements – arrangements put in place to reduce the risk of staff becoming infected, especially staff working in the premises; adoption of work from home schemes;
-Cleaning and Disinfection Protocols;
-Implementation – Policies on how to oversee the implementation of the plan adopted.
Treñas also ordered compliance officers to go after persons and establishments that violate health protocols such as wearing of face masks and shields/protectors and physical distancing.
The mayor said he received observations that some areas in the city do not follow the health protocols.
