Visayas IATF head warns of arrest, charges vs people falsifying info for COVID-19 contact tracing

BACOLOD CITY—An official leading COVID-19 government response in the Visayas warned people they would be arrested and criminally charged if they gave false information about themselves on documents being used for contact tracing.

Mel Feliciano, retired major general and chief implementer in the Visayas of the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF), issued the warning after a man, who was positive for SARS Cov2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was found to have written false information on his Case Investigation Form (CIF), which are required for coronavirus testing.

The man declared in his CIF that he resided in Bacolod City although he was actually a resident of Silay City, also in Negros Occidental province.

Dr. Chris Sorongon, deputy for medical concerns of the Emergency Operations Center Task Force of Negros Occidental, said it took more than a day for contact tracers to locate the infected man. With the help of the provincial health emergency operations center, other cities and towns, “the truth came out,” said Sorongan.

Filling out the CIF is required for testing. It should contain information needed for contact tracing should the person being tested turn positive for coronavirus.

“We are in the state of pandemic, a public health emergency,” said Sorongon.

“The information that we provide should be truthful and accurate because these information are used to prevent the further spread of the outbreak,” he said.

The Bacolod City Legal Office will file a complaint against the man for violating Republic Act No. 11332, which mandated reporting of contagious diseases.

The law prohibits tampering, falsifying information and refusal to cooperate with authorities by an individual with a contagious disease.

Violators face a fine of P20,000 to P50,000 or imprisonment of up to six months.

TSB