Passengers arriving at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport may avail of free and voluntary testing novel for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) starting June 29, the Davao City government said.

In a statement, the city government said that all air passengers who arrived in Davao City on June 8, 2020, whether experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or asymptomatic, can also avail of the testing.

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said the free reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing for air passengers is one of the city government’s efforts to find carriers of coronavirus and curb the spread of the viral disease in Davao  City.

“Isa pa ni sa atoang mga pamaagi nga mangita og mga pasyente. Lahi pa ni sa mga ginabuhat nato sa atoang contact-tracing, sa atoang case-finding dinha sa mga communities,” Duterte-Carpio said.

(This is one of our ways in finding patients, apart from the contact-tracing and case-finding in our communities.)

“So, duna tay budget sa atoang Bayanihan Grant nga napasa atong April and atoang gamiton ni para sa katong voluntary ang free testing for passengers who arrived by airplane beginning June 8 until the present,” she added.

(We have a budget from our Bayanihan Grant that was passed last April, and we will use it for the voluntary and free testing for passengers who arrived by airplane beginning June 8 until the present.)

Around 1,000 RT-PCR testing kits are ready for the free and voluntary testing for passengers who arrived in Davao City from June 8, 2020, to the present.

“Duna tay listahan, but sa pagka karon nangita lang ta og volunteers. Asymptomatic or symptomatic – meaning naa moy ubo, naa moy sip-on o wala, gikaluntura mo or wala, pwede mo magpa libreng testing sugod sa Monday,” she said.

(We have a list but for now we are looking for volunteers. Asymptomatic or symptomatic – meaning if you have cough, colds, or fever, or even if you don’t have these, you may avail of the free testing starting on Monday.)

Before the start date, the city government said it will release the full details on how to avail of the free testing.

Meantime, air travel passengers may reach out to the COVID-19 Task Force Operation Center for the details on how they can avail of the free testing.

Those interested in the initiative may contact Davao City’s COVID-19 OpCen through 0917 508 6548 for Globe users; 0919 071 1111 for Smart users; or, dial (082) 244-0181 for information.

MANILA, Philippines – Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte has reminded overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and locally-stranded individuals (LSI) returning to the city to comply with the mandatory 14-day quarantine and for their families to keep physical distance to avoid getting infected with novel coronavirus disease.

“Mag-remind ta sa atong mga kaigsuonang Dabawenyo nga kung duna moy kauban sa balay or member of your household or silingan nga bag-ong abot nga gikan sa ubang lugar, make sure nga dili mo moduol sa ilaha and make sure nga mag comply sila sa 14-day quarantine,” Duterte said in an interview over the Davao City Disaster Radio on Monday.

(We are reminding our fellow Dabawenyos if they have a household member or neighbor coming from other areas, make sure you don’t come near them or make sure they comply with the 14-day quarantine.)

Mayor Sara said the reminder is for all families with returning OFWs and LSIs regardless if members are either asymptomatic or experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus disease.

Davao City Health Office Head Dr. Josephine Villafuerte also echoed Mayor Sara’s statement, stressing that the 14-day quarantine for returning residents is required and must be followed.

Davao City has been receiving OFWs and LSIs in the past weeks via sweeper flights facilitated by government agencies.

Before boarding the plane, these OFWs and LSIs undergo rapid diagnostic tests (RDT), and those who turn out positive in the test are not be allowed to board the flight.

Upon arrival in Davao City, returning residents also undergo strict health screening conducted by the CHO. If they fail in the screening, they are referred to the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) for swabbing.

“They must fill out the health declaration form, undergo thermal scanning and symptom screening if they have a fever, cough, and cold. If they fail the health screening, they will be referred to SPMC for swabbing then for isolation or admission,” Villafuerte said in a statement.

Those who will not be placed in an isolation facility are required to undergo a 14-day home quarantine. They are directed to contact their District Health Office or the SPMC in case symptoms appear within 14 days.

As of June 20, the city government said it has assisted 5,825 inbound Davao City individuals while 4,512 outbound Davao City via land, air, and sea.

Of these numbers, 18 returning OFWs and two LSIs have tested positive for Covid-19.

Working from home is still a preferred option but is not the panacea for dealing with the problems caused by the coronavirus, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said on Monday (June 15), as France looks to speed up the re-opening of its economy.

“Working from home remains preferable, in the sense that it allows us to have a gradual return and can limit the circulation of the virus. But I’ve always considered that working from home was not the panacea,” Le Maire told France Info radio.

Even though many of France’s shops and restaurants have started to re-open, the major business districts of Paris remain empty as many employees are still working from home.

Le Maire also added that the state has begun to reduce its aid in covering partial unemployment benefits, to prompt companies to restart their activities. During the confinement period, the state covered 84 to 100 percent of salaries of furloughed employees.

He said working employees must be able to keep their purchasing power, to fuel consumption. (Reuters)

(Production: Michaela Cabrera)