All persons traveling to this city, except for Authorized Persons Outside of Residence (APORs) staying for not more than 24 hours, are required to have a mandatory swab test upon arrival.
However, APORs who will be staying less than 24 hours are still required to secure a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test three days before the date of travel.
Executive Order (EO) number 033, signed by Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas on Tuesday, said the Iloilo City Covid team will be prescribing “more stringent measures to protect its constituents”.
The new guidelines are in preparation for the lifting of the temporary suspension of inbound travels to Western Visayas from the National Capital Region (NCR) Plus and Cebu after April 10, 2021.
The synchronized travel protocol that requires 72 hours negative RT-PCR test before travel to Western Visayas will also end on April 10.
The mayor said that as per the report of the Iloilo City-City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (IC-CESU), seven confirmed Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) cases of the metropolis on Monday were APORs, locally stranded individuals (LSIs), and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who complied with the 72-hour negative RT-PCR prior to travel.
They developed symptoms upon arrival here and confirmed to be positive for Covid-19 when subjected to nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal (NPS/OPS) RT-PCR test.
“In view of these incidences, the Iloilo City COVID team has resolved to require the mandatory RT-PCR testing of inbound travelers to Iloilo City upon their arrival as a more responsive measure to screen and detect confirmed cases of Covid-19,” the mayor said in his EO.
He added that the city’s USWAG Molecular Laboratory is capable to render test results within 24 hours.
As a protocol, all inbound travelers are required to use the Safe, Swift and Smart Passage (S-PaSS) Travel Management System of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) by accessing https://spass.ph/.
Those who will travel by air shall be subjected to the NPS/OPS RT-PCR test at the airport while those who travel by sea must proceed to the Jubilee Hall at Mabini Street for their test.
While waiting for the result, they have to observe self-quarantine until a negative RT-PCR result is issued.
Those who will test positive have to comply with the instructions of local health authorities.
The swab upon arrival covers LSIs, returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs), APORS staying in Iloilo City for more than 24 hours, and persons on non-essential travel/tourists bound to Iloilo City.
Meantime, the EO also prohibits non-essential gatherings effective midnight of April 7, 2021 unless lifted or modified. These include but are not limited to parties, celebrations, or other social events.
Weddings and baptisms are allowed but attendees will be limited to 15 persons or immediate family within the first degree. (PNA)
