The Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) announced last July 11 that they have secured accreditation from the Department of Health (DOH) and Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) to operate a molecular laboratory to run COVID-19 tests. | Photos courtesy of MCIAA
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Passengers who are departing from the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) and are required to submit PCR test results can already have themselves tested for the coronavirus disease at the airport’s swab testing booth.
The testing facility for departing passengers will start operation on September 3 at the airport’s Terminal 2 arrival area and will be operational daily from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.
“Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is pleased to announce that the RT-PCR swab test is now available for departing passengers at the MCIA-dedicated COVID-19 RT-PCR Testing Facility,” GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC), the co-operator of MCIA, said in an advisory sent to members of the media on Saturday, August 29.
READ: MCIA molecular lab for COVID-19 tests up and running
“The cut-off time to accept passengers in the facility is until 10:15 a.m. The cost of the swab test if P5,000,” GMCAC’s advisory said.
Airport authorities also advise travelers who want to avail of their real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to register online and fill up the MCIA Outbound Passenger Registration Form at least two days ahead of their targeted testing date.
“Test results are available within 36-48 hours. Test results will be sent via the e-mail addresses provided during the online registration,” GMCAC said.
MCIA is the first airport in the country to open up its own molecular laboratory to process RT-PCR tests needed to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
To ensure a safe and worry-free trip, airport officials are asking departing passengers “to always monitor the status of their flights and comply with the documentary requirements and regulations mandated by the government of their point of origin and their destination.” / dcb