Grace Carungay, head of the Lapu-Lapu City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU). | Contributed photo
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines – Two Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs) in Lapu-Lapu City have tested positive for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
This was confirmed by Grace Carungay, head of the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU).
Carungay said that the first ROF is a 42-year-old male seafarer from Sri Lanka, who arrived at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) on January 13, 2021.
The other one is a 29-year-old female domestic helper from Dubai, who arrived at the airport on January 16, 2021.
Sri Lanka and Dubai are among the 35 flagged countries with confirmed cases of the United Kingdom (UK) variant of the coronavirus.
She said that currently, the two are now isolated in a quarantine facility at the Lapu-Lapu City College in Barangay Gun-ob.
Carungay, however, said that even if they came from countries with confirmed cases of the UK-variant, but their samples did not qualify to be submitted to the Philippine Genome Center in Luzon.
“Naa man guy criteria gud nga dili man tanan with travel history, kanang mag-positive, i-send dayon sa genome,” Carungay said.
Carungay revealed that currently, more than 100 Oponganon ROFs have already arrived in the city, with 24 ROFs now isolated in the city’s quarantine facility in Barangay Gun-ob. The rest are isolated in hotels accredited by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Tourism (DOT). /rcg