Gov. Arthur Yap and first district congressman Edgar Chatto together with other persons considered as close contacts test negative for the Coronavirus disease (Covid) after their reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests get released on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020.
Yap and company got tested ahead of a bigger batch of close contacts of the Philippine Travel Exchange (PhiTEx) delegate, who, early last week tested positive for Covid, according to Capitol insiders.
The governor made public his test result via a statement sent to media outlets yesterday afternoon through Kevin Damalerio, the information cluster head of the Capitol.
“My RT-PCR Test result is negative to Covid. Thank you for all your prayers. The road is long and hard. But we must not give up. We must find a way to balance safety and livelihood for our people. The challenge is not one or the other. We need both: our safety from Covid and re-opening our economy for for jobs and livelihoods. Let us pray for wisdom and sobriety for all. Most of all, let us pray for unity in Bohol. Thank you,” the governor said in his brief statement sent to the media.
Yap’s negative result comes at the heels of first district Rep. Edgar Chatto’s negative RT-PCR result that was released on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020. Yap’s swab samples were taken to the molecular laboratory of the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital (GCGMH).
However, a batch of persons tagged as first generation close contact of the Covid-positive PhiTEx delegate need to play the waiting game, as they also took the swab test only yesterday, according to Damalerio
In a telephone interview with Damalerio, he said the swab samples were taken either to the GCGMH molecular laboratory or the Bohol containerized PCR laboratory situated at the compound of the Bohol Medical Care Inc. in barangay Dao, Tagbilaran.
Depending on the speed of the processing of the swab samples in both laboratories, results may be either released today, Oct. 4, 2020 or a few days after, the information cluster head revealed.
With Bohol having two (2) PCR laboratories, there is no need to wait for a long time to know the outcome of the PCR tests, Damalerio told The Bohol Tribune.
Even if the governor is in quarantine, he was still working virtually. In fact, on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, he had a Zoom meeting with Bohol mayors.
He also attended a webinar facilitated by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) where he gave comments on effectively spending resources in local government units(LGU) held in the same day.
With the negative result, this debunks fake news that circulated hours after the public got informed that the governor went into quarantine. Fake news surfaced saying the governor got infected with the Covid, according to Capitol sources.
Thank you messages and expressions of happiness were poured into the FB page of Ardy Araneta-Batoy, The Bohol Tribune’s managing editor, who was one of the first to announce the negative results of both Governor Yap and Congressman Chatto.
It is expected that the governor will resume his daily activities at the Capitol and his sorties in the towns. Prior to the time he went into quarantine, the governor visited Calape town to lead the distribution of rice packs and Bohol contact tracing cards to each family in the said town.
The governor has been personally touring the Bohol towns to distribute the rice packs consisting of eight (8) kilos of premium rice and the contact tracing cards.
He is the one who personally educating the folks in the towns about the contact tracing cards.
Same is true for Congressman Chatto who, despite his quarantine status, continued to perform his duties by attending budget hearings through the zoom facilities.
BACKGROUND
On Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, Yap bared that a delegate in the PhiTEx tested positive for Covid after the person got tested in Metro Manila following her/his arrival there from Bohol.
The delegate departed from Bohol on Monday, Sept. 28, 2020.
Reports say that the person took another PCR test as he/she was about to go another location.
It was reported that the person was about to go to Boracay as the said place opened for tourism on Oct. 1, 2020.
The governor’s report about the Covid-positive PhiTEx delegate did not mention any reference to a particular delegate.
Due to data privacy laws in the country, the identity of Covid-positive persons is not divulged in news reports except if the person himself would like to declare openly the matter.
Personalities who have been tagged as first generation close contacts have been in quarantine since Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020 following the report that a delegate in the recently-concluded PhiTEx tested positive for Covid.
During a radio broadcast of the provincial government-produced radio program, on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, it was mentioned by the hosts that the governor’s chief of staff and the Provincial Administrator and even including Damalerio were placed under quarantine.
In the same radio program, the governor aired a statement regarding the situation he and others are in right now.
“Base sa medical protocols na atong gisunod dinhi sa Bohol, ako ug kauban sa akong mga staff miboluntaryo nga nag isolate sa among kaugalingon. Ug ipaubos usab kami sa RT-PCR test sa panahon na tugutan mi atong mga duktor. Maski pa ug nisunod ta sa lagda sa physical distancing ako na usab gipahibawo ang tanan na akong nakahimamat sulod sa miaging duha ka adlaw kabahin sa sitwasyon ug gihangyo nako sila na mag pa isolate usab. Sa pagkakaron, wala koy gibati na sintomas. Himsog pod ta buyag. Ayaw mo katuo sa mga istorya na nigawas na infected ta. Fake news ra ang tanan. Atong gipatuman ug gisunod ang mga protocol na dugay na natong giandam sa hulga sa Covid 19. We are simply putting into action the protocols that we have previously prepared in our fight against Covid 19. Ang akong sitwasyon karon parte lamang kini sa mga hulga na kinahanglan nako atubangon isip amahan sa lalawigang Bol-anon. Parte usab sa mga buthaton sa atong pagbalanse ug pagseguro sa kaluwasan sa tanan ang paghinay hinay na pagabli sa ekonomiya ug turismo. Aron matubag ang panginahanglan sa trabaho, kagutom, ug kalisod sa liboan nga mga kaigsoonang Bol-anon. I constantly remind myself while I continue to eat three square meals a day, thousands of our fellow Bol-anons who lost jobs and opportunities go hungry. Busa, isip inyong amahan kinahanglan kong mobarog, magkugi, ug magpalig-on, aron matubag ang inyong mga kinahanglan. Mohangyo ko kaninyo sa makausa pa, iapil ko sa inyong pagampo. Iampo nato ang akong mga kaubanan mga opisyal nga nangalagad kaninyo. Iampo nato ang atong lalawigan ug mag hugop kita, maghiusa kita, para sa kaluwasan nato ug sa kaayuhan sa atong lalawigan,” the governor said in a recorded message aired in the provincial government-produced radio program.