Gov’t to boost contact tracing, swabbing efforts in ports of entry
MANILA, Philippines — The government will boost its contact tracing and swabbing efforts by hiring more manpower in the country’s ports of entry, Malacañang said Friday.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases approved the recommendations of National Task Force (NTF) on COVID-19 to “strengthen screening and surveillance activities.”
“The NTF earlier supported the efforts of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to hire more civilians who would serve as additional personnel for contract tracing and swabbing in ports of entry,” Roque said in a statement.
Roque said Subic and other ports will be dedicated as “hubs for international crew change, subject to established health protocols and guidelines.”
Under the IATF’s latest resolution, it also approved the establishment of “one-stop shops under the DOTr for uniform processing of arrivals in all gateways.”
Further, Roque said the task force directed the DOTr, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, and other agencies to issue guidelines for inbound flight crew protocols as mandated by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
