GUIMARAS – Rapid diagnostic test for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will still be a requirement for residents and non-residents coming in and out of the province of Guimaras.
Vice Governor John Edward Gando said the Guimaras COVID-19 Response Executive Committee (ExeCom) headed by Governor Samuel Gumarin came to an agreement that starting November rapid diagnostic test will be required but only for groups like patients who regularly go to Iloilo City for chemotherapy or dialysis, residents of Iloilo City or other parts of Western Visayas who have permanent jobs in Guimaras and Guimaras residents working in the city or in other parts of the region.
“Sa November ma-start na tapos may target population group lang like amo ni ang gina-dialysis, chemotherapy, naga-obra sa gwa sa Guimaras and ang naga-obra sa Guimaras and once a month lang for purposes of surveillance tool,” Gando told Panay News.
The vice governor added that this new guideline focusing on targeted group is much better than the previous proposal wherein residents and non-residents who come in and out of Guimaras not less than thrice a week will be required to undergo rapid tests.
This also means that Guimaras residents who want to go to Iloilo City for leisure or to buy basic necessities are no longer required to undergo rapid test once they go back to the province, he said.
Gando added that rapid diagnostic test is free. Target persons will just go to either Jordan wharf, Buenavista wharf or roro wharf in Jordan to avail of the test.
“Way na bayad. Once identified ka nga naga-obra ka sa Guimaras or employed ka diri you have the entire month of November para magpa-RDT,” the vice governor said.
Gando said the new guideline was approved by five municipal mayors in the province namely, Emmanuel Galila of Nueva Valencia, Eugene Reyes of Buenavista, Ruben Corpuz of Jordan, Annabelle Samaniego of Sibunag, and Nimfa Gajo of San Lorenzo.
To recall, Guimaras provincial government planned to subject all people entering the island province to rapid diagnostic testing. It was originally scheduled for implementation on Oct. 5
But the League of Municipalities of the Philippines Guimaras chapter headed by Galila pushed for the suspension.
Galila said mayors were questioning the use of rapid tests.
Reyes, for example, cited the Department of Health position that rapid tests were not reliable in detecting coronavirus disease 2019 cases because of their high rate of false negative and false positive results.
Thus, the ExeCom had put on hold the province’s rapid diagnostic testing plan.
The order for rapid diagnostic tests on residents and non-residents entering Guimaras was contained in Gumarin’s Executive Order No. 67, Series of 2020 issued on Sept. 4 yet./PN
