ILOILO City – The national task force (NTF) on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has allowed the resumption of domestic flights for locally stranded individuals (LSIs) returning to Iloilo.
This is “… consistent with…resolutions allowing interzonal movement by air between areas under General Community Quarantine (GCQ), except leisure travels,” according to Defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana, NTF chief.
In a Sept. 11 letter to Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) executive director Carmelo Arcilla and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) director general Jim Eydiongco, Lorenzana advised the two agencies to allow domestic commercial operations carrying LSIs to Iloilo City, primarily through the Iloilo Airport “effective immediately, subject to strict compliance…with…health protocols…”
Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas announced last week that the city government would continue welcoming g LSIs.
“We are thankful for this decision. We understand the intent of our LSIs to return to their families. We shall have them comply with our health standards,” according to Treñas.
Meanwhile, following the arrival of several returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) or overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), the city government laid down health protocols to be complied with. These are the following:
* Upon arrival at the airport or seaport, Iloilo City will provide transportation going to Jubilee Hall.
* Testing using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) will be done at Jubilee Hall. Specimen analysis can either be done at the Western Visayas Medical Center sub-national laboratory or Qualimed Hospital laboratory.
* OFW/ROF will be evaluated by the medical team at Jubilee Hall.
If the OFW/ROF is having no symptoms, options for quarantine are as follows:
* home quarantine after signing an affidavit of undertaking complying with strict home protocols and if the home has available single room with a dedicated comfort room; family members will be the one to pick up the OFW/ROF
* facility quarantine for those who could not do home quarantine
* hotel quarantine at LSIs’ own expense
* if the OFW/ROF is symptomatic, with fever, cough, runny nose, loss of taste and smell, loose stools, etc, home quarantine will not be feasible
* OFW/ROF on home or facility/hotel quarantine will be monitored by the Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) or the medical staff of the quarantine facility
* upon completion of quarantine, a certificate of completion of quarantine will be issued by the district medical officers for those on home quarantine and by the doctor of the facility quarantine for those on facility/hotel quarantine
In case the OFW/ROF turns out to be positive for coronavirus:
* if asymptomatic to mild symptoms, he/she will be immediately brought to a facility or hotel intended for positive cases; hotel quarantine for positive cases will be at their own expense
* if with moderate to severe symptoms, he/she will be referred to a hospital for admission
For a positive individual, after completion of 14 days of quarantine with no symptoms manifested, he/she will be discharged from the facility and issued a certificate indicating he/she is clinically recovered and can go home.
No repeat testing is necessary for the discharged./PN
