MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Sunday reminded the public to observe health measures while traveling in the wake of reports that some overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who had tested negative for the coronavirus in Metro Manila tested positive in their provinces.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said coronavirus testing reflects a person's health status only at the time of the test.
"Between the time a test is conducted and the time of arrival of an OFW or anyone traveling, the possibility of infection remains," Roque said in a statement.
"Having said this, we remind everyone to exercise all the precautions advised by health authorities during travel. Additional safety measures at the provincial or LGU (local government unit) level are likewise necessary to ensure that one is truly healthy and devoid of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019)," he added.
Earlier, a returning OFW tested positive for the virus in Ormoc, the first person to be infected in the city.
Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez has said the entry of persons who had caught the virus could have been prevented if there was proper coordination between authorities of their point of origin and the receiving LGUs.
“We are prepared and we are ready for the worst, but I’m not happy with what happened,” Gomez said.
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In a recent national address, President Rodrigo Duterte told local government units to accept returning OFWs, saying only the national government has the power to restrict movement.
"For cities that refuse to accept the OFWs, I’m ordering you to accept them, open the gates of your territories and allow the people to travel wherever they want," Duterte said.
There were also OFWs who went home to Bacolod City and Murcia in Negros Occidental, Palawan and Misamis Occidental who tested positive for the virus, according to previous reports.
More than 24,000 OFW's who were repatriated from countries affected by the COVID-19 have returned to their respective provinces.
Baguio City stresses arrival protocols
In a statement Sunday. Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong stressed that visitors to the city must comply with border control checkpoints that have been put up to protect the residents of the city from COVID-19.
"There is utmost need to re-assert the policy position of the City Government, that no one, regardless of rank and position, is exempted from the established and long-held health and safety protocols when entering the city," he said after San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora and his convoy drove past a checkpoint and headed to the Baguio Country Club.
According to the Baguio police, Zamora's convoy arrived at the Kennon Road quarantine checkpoint on Friday afternoon and did not stop.
"When his group was flagged down for inspection, the driver of the lead vehicle just slowed down a bit, and merely told the checkpoint personnel that he was part of a convoy, pointing out the vehicles tailing his police car, then forthwith sped off with the Mayor’s entourage in tow," Magalong said.
When asked for their medical health clearances, Zamora's group failed to present any documents, which meant they had to go through triage examination. Medical personnel from the City Health Service Office were sent to the country club to put up a triage facility for Zamora and his entourage.
"To his credit, Mayor Zamora took the effort to inform me about this incident and apologized for the serious lapse on the part of his police escorting officer," Magalong said.
"[Zamora] profusely expressed deep regrets that while asleep in his car at the time, the PNP escort leading his convoy mindlessly took it on his own to ignore what has long been a standard border protection measure prescribed not only in his but our own city."