‘BACK TO THE TESTS’: Iloilo City, province mull COVID testing for travelers

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

With the surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the National Capital Region (NCR), the local governments of the city and province of Iloilo are looking into tightening travel regulations once again.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said in a Facebook post that the city government expressed its readiness to test inbound travelers from NCR, Cebu, and Boracay Island.

Treñas made the announcement after the city government’s COVID-19 Team met on Monday, Jan 3, 2022.

Treñas cited the recent uptrend in cases in NCR as well as the emerging threat of the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant, which already had one case in Bacolod City.

He added that he already reiterated his request to the national government for more doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to encourage those who have been fully vaccinated to get their booster shots as soon as possible.

“Cases are rising based on the reports of DOH. The NCR is now under Alert Level 3 and cases continue to go up. We need to protect ourselves and our families. I am asking everyone to get their booster shots 3 months after their second dose. We need to have additional protection against Omicron,” the mayor said in a Facebook statement.

The mayor also told Daily Guardian in a phone interview that travelers will also be given options to either get their RT-PCR test from their departure point or upon their arrival in the city.

He added that even those who had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will not be exempted from the testing requirement.

“If they cannot have their RT-PCR test [where they came from], we will be allowing the RT-PCR test upon their arrival. (sic) We will be most likely requiring the RT-PCR test because of the buildup of cases in Metro Manila. If they cannot be tested at the place of departure, we can do that for them without any expense,” he said in a phone interview.

Treñas’ executive order on the tests is expected to be released today, Jan 4.

Meanwhile, Iloilo OIC Provincial Administrator Dennis Ventilacion told Daily Guardian that Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. had been considering tightening restrictions in the province.

The provincial government’s health cluster is set to meet today, and Defensor is also expected to issue an executive order shortly after.

“The consensus right now is that we will have heightened restrictions to limit the movement of persons so we can prepare for a possible [COVID] surge. There is a possibility that we will also be requiring RT-PCR testing, but that will depend on the governor’s executive order, although he [Defensor] is seriously considering it,” Ventilacion said in a phone interview.

But Defensor told Daily Guardian that he is not ready to make any pronouncements until after the meeting with the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF), which is also scheduled today.

He said that as much as possible, he wouldn’t want to return to the more stringent protocols implemented in 2021.

He added that he was in the same line as Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, who also mulled strict border controls in his province due to the Omicron threat.

“Our balancing act now is different from that of last year because of the COVID-19 vaccines, and because of economic considerations as well. We don’t want to permanently damage some sectors or some investments. Is there a possibility that we will lessen [allowed activities]? Yes, but I cannot announce that yet,” the governor said in a phone interview.

Department of Health-Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH-WV CHD) data as of Jan 3, 2022 indicated that Iloilo City has logged 21,945 cases (68 active, 21,242 recovered, and 626 deaths), while Iloilo province has 34,641 total cases (505 active, 33,026 recovered, and 1,095 deaths).