Stranded individuals, OFWs to undergo COVID-19 tests before returning to provinces—Palace

FILE – Travelers at Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange—RICHARD A. REYES/INQUIRER PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will undergo COVID-19 testing before they could return to their provinces, Malacañang said Friday.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said this is so that local government units will no longer complain that LSIs may bring the virus to their jurisdictions upon their return

“Ang sabi po ni Secretary [Carlito] Galvez, dahil dumating na po iyong ating one million testing kits for PCR, pupuwede na nating bigyan ang lahat ng LSIs, kasama ang mga Overseas Filipino Workers ng PCR [polymerase chain reaction] bago po sila pauwiin nang hindi na po magreklamo ang mga LGUs na ang mga nagdadala ng sakit sa kanilang mga lugar ay ang mga LSIs,” Roque said in an online briefing.

(Secretary Galvez said that since the one million testing kits have arrived, we can test LSIs and OFWs via PCR before they can return home so that LGUs will no longer complain they these people are the ones bringing the virus to their jurisdictions.)

Roque said the government allowed a last batch of LSIs to return to Bacolod, Iloilo, and Cagayan de Oro before this new protocol is implemented.

“We further wish to state that this will be the last batch of LSIs that will be allowed to return to their respective hometowns until we subject them to RT-PCR tests,” he noted.

“We ask the receiving local government units to administer RT-PCR tests in their areas if possible; and subject the returnees to quarantine.”

Previously, a swab test was only required for stranded individuals recovering from COVID-19.

OFWs, meanwhile, were only required to secure a medical clearance that they have already completed their 14-day quarantine.

The government’s testing czar Vince Dizon said the country’s testing capacity is at 50,000 but the average tests being conducted per day is at 16,000.

Dizon said they are eyeing to expand COVID-19 testing to more people, including non-medical frontliners.