Cebu-bound travelers from Bohol, Negros Island need RT-PCR, antigen test
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CEBU CITY, Philippines — Travelers from Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Negros Occidental will need to take a real time polymerase reaction test (RT-PCR) or a Rapid Antigen Test should they want to come to Cebu.
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia issued Executive Order No. 24 detailing additional requirements for travelers from these areas due to the rising cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) there.
The policy will be implemented starting 12:01 a.m. of June 14, 2021, and shall remain valid until July 24, 2021, unless further extended.
“Based on the data received from the Department of Health (DOH), there has been a steady rise in COVID-19 cases in the Province of Bohol and the Province of Negros Oriental,” said the governor in her EO.
As of June 10, 2021, Bohol has 1,095 active cases or 1.92 percent of its population while Negros Oriental has 2,528 active cases or 4.44 percent of its population.
In a meeting with the Regional Office of the DOH in Central Visayas (DOH-7), Department of the Interior and Local Government in Central Visayas (DILG-7), a representative from the Office of the Presidential Assistant to the Visayas (OPAV), and the Provincial Capitol, they agreed that there was an urgent need to heighten restrictions upon all persons entering the Province of Cebu who originated from the Province of Bohol and the Province of Negros Oriental.
In the same meeting, the authorities decided that due to the contiguity of the Province of Negros Occidental with the Province of Negros Oriental, the same policy would be applied to all persons originating from there.
The EO states that the traveller is required to submit negative RT-PCR results taken within 72 hours prior to departure from their place of origin.
In place of an RT-PCR, if the test should be impossible to take, a negative Rapid Antigen Test taken at least 48 hours prior to departure from their place of origin may be presented.
The DOH will be in charge of conducting the Rapid Antigen Test in all ports of origin for those individuals that cannot present either of the requirements.
The Philippine Ports Authority and the Philippine Coast Guard shall assist the Department of Health by screening all persons traveling to Cebu.
/dbs
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