All overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and locally stranded individuals (LSIs) need to complete the 14-day quarantine if they are accommodated in the city’s quarantine facilities. They are given specific instruction not to cut their stay short as they will not be allowed to do it. This is the statement from the Tagbilaran City Health Officer (CHO).
Dr. Jeia Pondoc, City Health Officer of Tagbilaran, said that even if there is a provincial policy that allows an OFW or an LSI to cut short his/her quarantine stay, the OFW, LSI must complete the 14-day quarantine.
OFWs or LSIs may opt to cut short their stay if they are able to get a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test on the fifth day and subsequently would test negative for coronavirus infection (Covid) as shown by the result of the test. However, the said OFW or LSI must continue the quarantine at home, according to the provincial government policy.
“Maski pa makakuha ug negative result, ila (the OFW or LSI) gyud na (the home quarantine) i-continue,” Pondoc told The Bohol Tribune by way of the Open Forum program on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020.
Any person under quarantine who will show any symptoms during his/her stay, will not be allowed to for discharge from the quarantine facility and will stay inside the care of the CHO for 10 days and would be subjected to swab tests, Pondoc added.
As for the city’s policy im the use of rapid antibody test (RAT), the CHO said that the city will only apply the RAT on a person under quarantine prior to release from quarantine stay, if he/she is known to be a close contact of a Covid-positive patient, prior to his/her arrival in the facility.
The CHO explained the policy on the use of RAT by way of a reaction to the policy on the RAT use since the Bohol Inter Agency Task Force (B-IATF) advised local government units (LGUs) that the RAT is no longer needed if the person under quarantine completes the 14 days stay and remains asymptomatic.