Pagadian City offers free swab tests for arriving travelers

A health employee of the Pagadian City government swabs a passenger from Manila on April 7 for coronavirus disease testing before entering the city. The test is provided free by the local government. Photo by Leah D. Agonoy, Inquirer Mindanao

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur –– The local Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on COVID-19 has required all travelers into the city to undergo a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test.

The policy, contained in Executive Order No. 08 signed by Mayor Samuel Co, took effect on April 6, apparently in response to the recent surge of coronavirus disease cases in Metro Manila and four nearby provinces.

The policy covers those who are not authorized persons outside of residence or APORs and local stranded individuals who are returning home, regardless of the quarantine status of their places of origin.

But Co said the city government would shoulder the cost of the RT-PCR testing.

Local IATF guidelines require travelers to bring their RT-PCR test results from their respective places of origin, but these should be within five days of their entry into the city.

Those tested in the city upon entry will be required to be on home quarantine or stay in holding areas for up to three days when results come out. If they are positive, they would be brought to an isolation facility.

All those who enter the city also need to declare essential contact details for tracing in case of infection.

LZB