Zamboanga del Sur braces for influx of people as it eases to modified GCQ

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur—As the province of Zamboanga del Sur eases down to a modified general community quarantine on Monday, June 1, top officials here expect an influx of people coming home from other provinces could bring the possibility of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) transmission.

But Zamboanga del Sur Governor Victor Yu said nobody could stop people from coming home to the province so all they needed to do was prepare.

“(The province) has no choice but to prepare for this,” the governor said as Zamboanga del Sur lowered its restriction to modified General Community Quarantine (GCQ) starting June 1.

“The only way to monitor and prevent [COVID transmission is to] place an area in the [Pagadian City] airport to conduct rapid [antibody] tests to all those who arrive,” he said. “While those [arriving by land through provincial] boundaries, we already requested the local government units to find a place where we could conduct the rapid test,” the governor added.

Expecting a high number of people coming home from other areas of the country, the governor has already asked all local government units to identify isolation areas in their towns to cater to those who might need to be isolated.

Yu said the province had initially purchased 5,000 rapid antibody test kits for the initial testing. Once they run out of test kits, different LGUs in the province will supplement the supply by procuring more test kits, he said.

Provincial officials will meet with representatives from bus companies and van operators on Monday to announce the guidelines they would have to follow in plying their vehicles under the “new normal.”

Yu said that buses would be allowed to load up to 50 percent of their passenger capacity while airline companies could load up to 60 percent of their capacity per flight, according to the guidelines set by the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

“We will cope with all the incoming passengers by testing and monitoring them to prevent possible transmission of COVID-19 in the province,” he said.

From March 30 to April 30, Zamboanga del Sur only monitored five COVID-19 cases who all fully recovered, according to Zamboanga del Sur Medical Center Chief Dr. Anatalio Cagampang Jr.

/MUF