BaCTrac registration needed for medical certificate, travel pass

BACOLOD City – Persons who need to secure medical certificates in order to be issued a “Travel Authority” document will be required to register with the Bacolod Contact Tracing (BaCTrac) System starting Oct 26, 2020 in accordance with a new order from the Bacolod City Emergency Operations Center Task Force (EOC- TF).

Bacolod Public Information Officer Danny Dangcalan said Monday that this new health protocol was recommended by the EOC-TF, the central body in Bacolod that collects and harmonizes relevant data that are transformed into policies against COVID-19.

In line with this new order from the EOC, City Health Office (CHO) officer-in-charge Dr. Edwin Miraflor Jr. issued Memorandum Order No. 102320-01.

The said CHO memo discourages chest X-ray as a requirement for the medical certificate, as it “does not detect COVID,” Miraflor said.

“What’s important is their history of travel and exposure, which BaCTrac would help establish,” he added.

Miraflor said that a health declaration and an evaluation of an attending CHO medical officer in Bacolod would suffice for the issuance of the medical certificate.

All other requirements for travel would be dependent on the receiving local government unit.

“We cannot burden Bacolodnons with the cost of X-ray, Rapid Test, or Swab Test,” the CHO official stressed.

Chest X-ray may only be required in special cases that an attending CHO physician may see fit, Miraflor added.