206 immigration officers at NAIA test negative for coronavirus

By: Cathrine Gonzales - 5 years ago

MANILA, Philippines — All 206 officers of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) who have undergone rapid antibody tests for the new coronavirus yielded negative test results.

This was disclosed by BI Medical Section Chief Dr. Marites Ambray in a report to Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente on Wednesday, adding that those who were tested are among the 500 BI frontliners assigned at the airport.

“A total of 206 immigration officers underwent the rapid mass testing yesterday (Tuesday) at the NAIA Terminal 3 building, and thankfully all tested negative,” she said.

Another 150 frontline and at-risk employees at the BI main office, as well as seaport operation officers, were tested and all were found negative for the virus called SARS-CoV-2, which causes respiratory illness COVID-19, according to Ambray.

She explained the bureau has prioritized in the testing those personnel performing frontline duties as well as those who are senior citizens or have underlying medical conditions as they are more vulnerable to the disease.

BI Port Operations Division Chief Grifton Medina said the agency has requested another batch of testing for the rest of the airport frontliners.

The testing was initiated by BI’s COVID-19 task force, following the test kit donations from foreign embassies and concerned agencies.

The task force earlier announced that it had procured hundreds of personal protective equipment (PPEs) that BI frontliners need as protection against the coronavirus while performing their jobs.

KGA