CEBU CITY, Philippines — Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) who will be going home to Daanbantayan town in northern Cebu will be made to undergo a rapid antigen test upon arrival.
The requirement was decided upon following the rise in cases of the coronavirus disease in Barangay Maya that was traced to have started from an OFW who recently returned to their town.
Members of his family, who came to see the OFW, became his close contacts.
As of Monday, October 5, Daanbantayan town logged a total of 100 confirmed cases of the infection of which five remain active.
Barangay Poblacion logged the most number of cases with 45 followed by Maya with 38.
The town’s Oct. 5 COVID-19 Bulletin showed that Poblacion still has 4 active cases while Maya has one.
Cases of infection that were reported in Barangay Maya were traced to have started from the arrival of an OFW in the barangay.
The town’s Interagency Task Force (IATF) said that OFWs who subject themselves to laboratory tests in Metro Cebu have a higher chance of acquiring the virus while they await the release of their test results.
As a precautionary measure, the town’s IATF passed resolution No. 023-2020 to require all returning OFWs to undergo swab testing and those who are found with the infection will be subjected to mandatory quarantine before they will be allowed to go home to their families.
The resolution said that OFWs will only ride on vehicles that will be provided by the Local Government Unit on their way to Daanbantayan town. They will be fetched at their designated hotels in Metro Cebu on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Upon arrival in Daanbantayan town, OFWs will immediately be brought to the Rural Health Unit (RHU) where they will be made to undergo an antigen-antibody test that is expected to last 30-minutes.
Those who will test negative for the infection will immediately be sent home. However, those who will yield positive results will be transferred to the Community Isolation Unit in Barangay Tominjao and will be subject to a subsequent swab test. / dcb